OCD and driving

[Zico]

Passed fairly recently and my ocd has latched onto this. Main fears are getting caught speeding, losing license and going through a red light. This morning I’ve convinced myself I went through a red light even though I would have noticed. The lore I think back the harder it is to remember. 

[Ashley]

This is not my OCD worry but I have spent the last year close to the cliff edge so I have a little understanding about this kind of anxiety (general not OCD anxiety). I was on 9 points (12 means a ban usually) and when I moved to Derbyshire I was just leaving Sussex on a road that is 60 but drops to 40 for quarter of a mile as it goes past two houses and arrgh a mobile camera van was parked up just where I had been caught the year before.

So I spent a month worried that I was getting the letter anytime soon and a ban.   I then had about 9 more months on 9 points so 

In the end I realised the 'consequence' was not worth my time and worry.  So yes getting a ban would be a huge inconvenience, but eventually I realised I could still get to work and yes life would be hard work without my license but life would go on.  Not sure if that helps you or not.

Thankfully I am now back to 3 points with 6 having expired... and if I am a good boy until February next year then my 3 points expire so I will be clean again

[Zico]

2 hours ago, Ashley said:

This is not my OCD worry but I have spent the last year close to the cliff edge so I have a little understanding about this kind of anxiety (general not OCD anxiety). I was on 9 points (12 means a ban usually) and when I moved to Derbyshire I was just leaving Sussex on a road that is 60 but drops to 40 for quarter of a mile as it goes past two houses and arrgh a mobile camera van was parked up just where I had been caught the year before.

So I spent a month worried that I was getting the letter anytime soon and a ban.   I then had about 9 more months on 9 points so 

In the end I realised the 'consequence' was not worth my time and worry.  So yes getting a ban would be a huge inconvenience, but eventually I realised I could still get to work and yes life would be hard work without my license but life would go on.  Not sure if that helps you or not.

Thankfully I am now back to 3 points with 6 having expired... and if I am a good boy until February next year then my 3 points expire so I will be clean again

Yeah that thought process helps thanks. I think because I struggled so much with text anxiety that the idea of losing my license and have to retake it is pretty stressful. 

[taurean]

I think Ashley put that really well. 

Driving around has challenges nowadays, especially in urban and unfamiliar areas - watching out for changes in speed limits, and yellow boxes so not to get stuck in them, is also important. 

On a trip last year to Northampton, to which town we are hoping to move, I got lost on the way to meet the estate agent for a viewing and felt I might have gone through a red light. 

I decided not to worry about it and if I got a fine and points, put it down to the particular circumstances. 

But I have now bought a satnav to use in unfamiliar areas and it is brilliant and should deal with such a problem of getting lost and not knowing the junctions. 

I never did get a letter, so any worrying would have damaged my health and wellbeing needlessly. 

All you can do is make sure you drive only when fit and alert, and keep your mind on the driving and be sensible. And remember speed limits are maximum not minimum - we should go at the necessary speed within the limits that equates with safety and conditions. 

If you happen to have cruise control (as I do)  I use it when in speed restriction zones out of urban areas - and it prevents inadvertent speeding. 

The satnav displays the speed limit where I am and a warning if I enter a different speed limit zone with an audible alert. I think that too will be helpful if I use it in areas I don't know. But I won't be using it just for that in areas I do know - it can be a distraction so needs using with common sense and great care.And that feature is not fallible (won't cater for road works temporary limits)  and will rely on me ensuring I regularly update the maps via my laptop and the Internet. 

Edited January 11, 2018 by taurean
addition

[Zico]

Yeah that’s my thoughts exactly. I think I focus when driving but like typical ocd the longer time goes on the more skewed the memory gets of an incident where I think I did badly. I suppose the best way to think about it is to put it behind me as I can’t change it now even if I did. 

[taurean]

3 minutes ago, Zico said:

I suppose the best way to think about it is to put it behind me as I can’t change it now even if I did. 

Spot on Zico. 

Trying to remember is a worthless compulsion. 

 

[bruces]

You must be a real boy racer Ashley?!! 

Last year I was caught speeding for the first time and was given the option of the speed awareness course instead of the points which I took.

i found the course quite interesting surprisingly but my main point is that the guy that was presenting the course said d that if he was caught speeding even once he would instantly lose his job,that must be quite a lot of pressure. 

[Zico]

Wow that is a lot of pressure. I think that’s the top and bottom of my OCD. The actual outcome isn’t worth the worry. Literally would rather have broke my leg than taken my driving test on the morning of it. Thanks for the replies. 

[pkidza]

12 hours ago, Zico said:

Yeah that’s my thoughts exactly. I think I focus when driving but like typical ocd the longer time goes on the more skewed the memory gets of an incident where I think I did badly. I suppose the best way to think about it is to put it behind me as I can’t change it now even if I did. 

Driving is also my thing.  Going through red robots is one of the fears.  I have been reading some self-therapy OCD books and something I read in one of them really made sense.  They say it is basically very tough to remember something that didn't happen and our memories are terrible.  I find the memory does change while I am ruminating and trying to work out if I went through a red robot is impossible because each time I think I have "worked it out" I just come up with another potential "what if" thought.  In the end the only thing that helps is not to connect with the thoughts although that is very tough.

You could move to where I stay.  The government has been trying to implement a points system but it is many, many years late and people doubt it will ever be implemented.  You can do pretty much whatever you want here.  It sounds great but really isn't

[Zico]

8 hours ago, pkidza said:

Driving is also my thing.  Going through red robots is one of the fears.  I have been reading some self-therapy OCD books and something I read in one of them really made sense.  They say it is basically very tough to remember something that didn't happen and our memories are terrible.  I find the memory does change while I am ruminating and trying to work out if I went through a red robot is impossible because each time I think I have "worked it out" I just come up with another potential "what if" thought.  In the end the only thing that helps is not to connect with the thoughts although that is very tough.

You could move to where I stay.  The government has been trying to implement a points system but it is many, many years late and people doubt it will ever be implemented.  You can do pretty much whatever you want here.  It sounds great but really isn't

Yeah it’s quite exhausting. I think it’s because the car behind me stopped but that could be because the light changed when I had already passed it. At first it wasn’t really a serious thought but the more I thought about it the worse it got which is typical of my OCD. By not connecting the thoughts do you mean ignoring them? 

[pkidza]

On 1/12/2018 at 16:29, Zico said:

Yeah it’s quite exhausting. I think it’s because the car behind me stopped but that could be because the light changed when I had already passed it. At first it wasn’t really a serious thought but the more I thought about it the worse it got which is typical of my OCD. By not connecting the thoughts do you mean ignoring them? 

Really late reply but yes.  I am most successful at moving on if I just let the thoughts run through my mind without giving them any importance.