How to deal with anxiety after a car accident 23/08/19

Getting back into a car after an accident can often trigger anxiety and its associated symptoms. This form of anxiety can range in severity, sometimes causing a person to avoid a journey and in extreme cases a complete phobia of driving.

Between 20 and 50 million people sustain injuries in road accidents every year. Whether you have been behind the wheel of a car, on a motorbike, or a passenger in an accident - it can result in serious anxiety issues such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Car Call deal with people who have been involved in road accidents on a daily basis, so we want to help people know there are some ways to help manage this.

It’s good to be able to recognise the symptoms of accident related anxiety and to be able to understand how it can affect. If you are feeling any of the following symptoms, you may be suffering with driving anxiety –

  • Heart Palpitations

  • Increased Perspiration

  • Confusion

  • Shortness of Breath

  • Dizziness

  • Feelings of Dread

If have any of these symptoms, it’s good to understand how you may be able to help alleviate them. The following could help to assist to minimize some of these sometimes overwhelming feelings.

Recognise your Triggers

First of all, you want to be able to recognise what it is that’s making you nervous about driving or getting into a vehicle. To assist in recognising the causes, try to pay attention to when you feel anxious the most and what happens that affects when you start to feel this way.

Keep a Journal

It’s good to keep things written down, write down your triggers then record how you’re feeling about it. It is good to look at this in a more objective way to try and simplify it and then organise the feelings that you are getting from driving or getting into the car.

Meditation

Meditation is a good thing to investigate before you start driving again. Deep breathing exercises or calming meditation sounds and videos can help a lot to ease any anxiety you may be feeling prior to driving.

Imagine yourself driving

It helps just to imagine that you are behind the wheel and get your mind-set comfortable with driving again. You could combine this with a meditation routine or just do it separately. It is important to visualise yourself back behind the wheel or in a car to help reduce the anxiety that you may be feeling.

Reduce Alcohol and Caffeine intake

Anxiety symptoms are invariably worsened by alcohol or caffeine. If you can avoid consuming either while your anxiety is high, this should help you feel better. Stimulants will always worsen the effects of anxiety. Try to replace these with exercise as the endorphins released during exercise are proven to help reduce stress and anxiety.

Contact a Professional

If you are struggling to handle stress or anxiety following an accident, then you should seek help from a professional. You can contact your GP and explain the situation and they will refer you to someone that can help. Never suffer in silence, look for a counsellor that specialises in PTSD or anxiety disorders and don’t feel ashamed to contact someone.



All information is believed to be correct at the time of publication.



No need to claim on your insurance

Anyone who has been involved in a road accident has the right to choose who repairs their vehicle. If you were responsible for the accident you were involved in, the company that insures your vehicle would normally deal with your accident claim.

However if you were not at-fault for the accident, you can choose to either claim on your own insurance policy or make a claim independently of your insurer. To find out more call 02392 484 244 and we will be happy to help.

We and our partners help thousands of people make independent accident claims. Our service enables motorists to get the help and assistance they need to resolve their accident related issues, with the costs being recovered directly from the at-fault driver on your behalf.

No excess to pay

Unfortunately even if an accident was not your fault, your insurer will almost certainly require you to pay your excess before any repair is started on your car.

This money should of course be recovered by an insurer at a later date, but with our service - you do not have to pay it at all.

By using our independent claims service, you are not making a claim on your insurance policy and so you will have no excess to pay.

Receive a comparable replacement hire vehicle

Not all insurance policies will include a replacement hire-car for you to use if yours is damaged and unroadworthy. In fact it is typically an 'optional extra' on your policy.

Other policies may offer a 'courtesy car' but this is often just a 'basic' saloon or hatchback which may not be suitable for your needs.

Car Call and its partners will provide a comparable replacement vehicle as part of our service. This means we will endeavour to supply a hire-vehicle that similar to your own in terms of its type, make and engine size.

So whether you drive a small hatchback or a prestige sports car, we will look to provide a similar hire-vehicle that suits your needs.

Manufacturer approved vehicle repairs

If you have been involved in a car accident, the last thing you want to have to worry about is the quality of the repairs to your car. We have a UK wide network of partner approved Accident Repair Centres available to all of our customers.

Many of our accident repair centres are have manufacturer approvals for specific brands, so if you require a manufacturer approved repair centre, simply tell your personal claim handler and they will ensure your vehicle goes to an approved repairer.

Want you vehicle repaired by a specific garage? No problem, we can alternatively use a repairer that you specify.

Legal Assistance

Our partner solicitors provide legal assistance as part of our service. They specialise in motor claims related issues, so you can be assured of the best possible advice and assistance.

They issues they can assist you with include:

  • Recovery of the cost of the replacement hire-vehicle
  • Recovery of the cost of uplifting your damaged vehicle
  • Recovery of all repair costs
  • Recovery of the cost of damaged of personal items
  • Seeking financial compensation for an injury