It is common for a person who was involved in a car accident to feel very nervous about driving in the future. They may be extra afraid that they will suffer another accident. There are several things you can do to gain back your peace of mind, such as letting a personal injury attorney hold the at-fault party accountable. Another option that some mental health professionals suggest is keeping a driving journal.
Start by Writing about All Your Driving Trips
One of the reasons that it can feel dangerous to drive after an accident is because the accident is so fresh in your mind and it seems that it could happen again at any time. Technically, it could happen at any time and it is important to take care not to get involved in another accident. That said, it is very unlikely that you will get into an accident on any given drive.
When you write down every drive you are involved in, you can look back at your entries and see concrete evidence of all the accidents you did not get into. Write down where you went, what happened, and how you felt. If there were any near miss accidents, write down what happened.
Keep Your Log for at Least a Few Weeks
You do not have to keep this driving journal for the rest of your life, but you should keep it for at least a few weeks. You may miss a drive or two but try to write down most of them. After you have a few weeks’ worth, you can look for patterns. When were you driving with the least number of incidents? What incidents did you encounter that made you nervous? What did those have in common?
Where there particular parts of town or certain stretches of road that made you particularly nervous or uncomfortable? Were there issues with your vehicle that need help? What types of thoughts or activities distract you from driving safely?
Choose Two Actions You Can Take to Be a Safer Driver
After you have looked at potential hazards, along with any mistakes you might have made, it is time to consider what actions you can take to stay safer on the road. Start by focusing on just two. For example, if you find that you are always distracted at a certain intersection, you might decide to find another way to go to work. If you find that you cannot see well at night, you might determine ways to cut down on how many nighttime drives you do.
If you have not yet talked to a personal injury attorney, we recommend that you do so by calling The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation.
