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Hi, all. As the title mentions, I have a fear of driving over tall bridges. It's a combination of fear of heights, fear of a crash that would send my car into the watery depths below, and a dislike for the sense of no escape if I were stuck in traffic on a bridge.
I've been able to overcome other fears when I learn a rational argument that defeats them. With this one...rationally, I know that I could get in a car accident anywhere, not just on a bridge, but then I also think, rationally, if I did get in an accident on a bridge above water and the car actually crashed into the water, I would have a much lower chance of survival than if I crashed elsewhere. So that doesn't completely help. I also know that, rationally, if I were stuck in traffic anywhere, I would be "trapped" and have no immediate escape, but again, I also know that rationally, there's at least a somewhat higher chance of escape if I were to find another route, which would be impossible on a bridge.
Can you all help me combat this fear with rational arguments? Am I wrong about the above counter-arguments? Or is there any other rational reason I should be less afraid of driving over tall bridges? Thank you!
This is a real fear. In fact, there are so many people who will not drive across the Mackinac Bridge, that there is a service that will drive your car across for you.
"Drivers who do not feel comfortable driving across the Mackinac Bridge can have staff from the Mackinac Bridge drive their vehicle. Drivers must be 18 years of age or older. The required liability waiver has been updated, and staff will complete a checklist of several items the customer must agree to, including allowing for adjustments of mirrors and the driver’s seat, using a dash camera to record the inside of the vehicle during the crossing, keeping any animals in the vehicle restrained, having all occupants wear a mask covering their nose and mouth, and allowing the vehicle to be cleaned before crossing."
Hi, all. As the title mentions, I have a fear of driving over tall bridges. It's a combination of fear of heights, fear of a crash that would send my car into the watery depths below, and a dislike for the sense of no escape if I were stuck in traffic on a bridge.
I've been able to overcome other fears when I learn a rational argument that defeats them. With this one...rationally, I know that I could get in a car accident anywhere, not just on a bridge, but then I also think, rationally, if I did get in an accident on a bridge above water and the car actually crashed into the water, I would have a much lower chance of survival than if I crashed elsewhere. So that doesn't completely help. I also know that, rationally, if I were stuck in traffic anywhere, I would be "trapped" and have no immediate escape, but again, I also know that rationally, there's at least a somewhat higher chance of escape if I were to find another route, which would be impossible on a bridge.
Can you all help me combat this fear with rational arguments? Am I wrong about the above counter-arguments? Or is there any other rational reason I should be less afraid of driving over tall bridges? Thank you!
How high is the bridge or just tall bridges in general? You wouldn't have to worry about whether or not there is water there because if you go down off a high enough bridge, the impact will kill you immediately so you won't survive long enough to worry about being underwater. Just like when someone jumps off the GWB or the Golden Gate. It's like hitting concrete from that height. They don't drown because they are already dead.
On that happy note, all I can say is maybe learn a little bit about the construction of bridges and how they are designed to be safe. I'm not an engineer, but I worked with them all my life including on bridge projects, and I learned a lot about all the redundancy that goes into the design to make them safe. Even when there are auto accidents, the chances of actually going off the bridge are pretty slim.
As an example, I asked one of the engineers once why they don't put fences up to prevent people from jumping off for suicide. It seemed logical. He said because the fence, even a chain-link type fence, can act like a giant sail in the wind and make the bridge unsafe. The industry has been working on designs and materials to use to build suicide prevention fences that won't put the integrity of the bridge in jeopardy.
Also, I know from working for a public agency that most major bridges have undergone "hardening" since 9/11, meaning that assessments were taken to identify the vulnerabilities in any given bridge that might be used by terrorists to target an asset like a bridge, and they've spent money and taken steps to ameliorate those vulnerabilities.
Bridges are by law constantly inspected and tested to ensure their structural integrity, too.
Good luck. Irrational fears are difficult to deal with and can limit your enjoyment of life. Good for you for looking for ways to overcome this one. I used to be afraid to fly, and now I'm not, and it's so much nicer to be able to plan to travel without the anxiety ruling over me. Fear of high bridges is fairly common. I've known a few people who have that same anxiety.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We have two around here that would be a problem for you. I too find them a bit stressful but I manage. The one we go over the most often has 3 lanes, and I stick to the middle one. Since a relative moved to Gig Harbor we go over it much more frequently and that helps.
Even higher is the 4 mile long Astoria Bridge between Oregon and Washington, and one day we crossed it in a heavy fog where you couldn't see the water below. I find that it's easier to cross every time, as I get more used to it. There are many phobias that can eventually be overcome with practice.
Focus on the road ahead and the lane markings and your instruments.
Set up a scan of your instruments using only your eyes without moving your head or moving it only minimally (left mirror, speedometer, road ahead. center mirror, right side mirror. Repeat). Practice that in your driveway or when driving on not a bridge.
Don't look out the sides at the water
I understand well that fear of crossing high bridges, I tend to have that fear myself, though I don't think it escalates to the point I would call it a phobia. I generally just get a bit tense as I cross those bridges and breathe a sigh of relief and thanks that I made it across to dry land and it didn't take too long.
I recall a number of years ago I was driving to a destination in Tampa, FL that would have me crossing Tampa Bay using the Sunshine Skyway bridge. For days I looked at alternate routes that would let me avoid that bridge, but those were a lot longer and much more circuitous, almost guaranteeing I'd get lost, while the route across the Skyway bridge was much shorter and more direct. So I resigned myself to having to cross that bridge, dreading the thought but knowing I was being foolish in thinking that way. It didn't help that I remembered that back in 1980, I think it was, the Sunshine bridge had been hit by a barge ( if I recall right), which destroyed the bridge and I will never forget the image of several vehicles on that bridge that went plummeting into the bay along with the parts of the roadway on that bridge.
So the day I made that trip, though dreading it as I approached the bridge, I took note of the beautiful, clear sunny weather and light traffic. As I crossed the bridge and reached the top of the expanse, I had to appreciate the pure beauty of the bay, the boats on the water and the views of the Tampa skyline to the east and St. Petersburg and surrounding towns to the north and west. It was so beautiful, I thought, that I forgot to be scared.
Even still, though, the bridges in my dreams always either end midway across the water they cross, or dip down into the water. I don't think I have ever had a dream with an intact, normal bridge in it.
I understand well that fear of crossing high bridges, I tend to have that fear myself, though I don't think it escalates to the point I would call it a phobia. I generally just get a bit tense as I cross those bridges and breathe a sigh of relief and thanks that I made it across to dry land and it didn't take too long.
I recall a number of years ago I was driving to a destination in Tampa, FL that would have me crossing Tampa Bay using the Sunshine Skyway bridge. For days I looked at alternate routes that would let me avoid that bridge, but those were a lot longer and much more circuitous, almost guaranteeing I'd get lost, while the route across the Skyway bridge was much shorter and more direct. So I resigned myself to having to cross that bridge, dreading the thought but knowing I was being foolish in thinking that way. It didn't help that I remembered that back in 1980, I think it was, the Sunshine bridge had been hit by a barge ( if I recall right), which destroyed the bridge and I will never forget the image of several vehicles on that bridge that went plummeting into the bay along with the parts of the roadway on that bridge.
So the day I made that trip, though dreading it as I approached the bridge, I took note of the beautiful, clear sunny weather and light traffic. As I crossed the bridge and reached the top of the expanse, I had to appreciate the pure beauty of the bay, the boats on the water and the views of the Tampa skyline to the east and St. Petersburg and surrounding towns to the north and west. It was so beautiful, I thought, that I forgot to be scared.
Even still, though, the bridges in my dreams always either end midway across the water they cross, or dip down into the water. I don't think I have ever had a dream with an intact, normal bridge in it.
Yes- Tampa Bay looks beautiful from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
But it is two lines in each direction, but because of the structure of the bridge, all lanes are "outside" lanes with a direct drop to the water!
I am not crazy about driving over taller, elevated bridges, so I just do it at a comfortable, careful speed, but not so slow to impede traffic flow. I just focus on the immediate road in front of me and ignore everything else. I don't try to rationalize my fear because, either way, I need to get across the bridge.
Interesting topic. OP, I am not trying to sound discouraging, but there may be no way to combat this fear, if it's ingrained. You'll just have to either cope with it or avoid tall bridges entirely.
I live near a very long bridge, and several times I've been stuck in my car in the middle of it due to a wreck or whatever causing a traffic jam, and I always envision the entire bridge collapsing from all the added stationary weight. Same fear when I'm driving under a bridge, especially a rail bridge with a train currently crossing overhead, I always envision that this will be time the bridge finally collapses, with me right under it.
Is it irrational or just imaginative, or a facet of our self preservation? It's not irrational if it can in fact happen...bridges do collapse sometimes. I used to walk a dog on this bridge, where every 50 feet or so there's a split between the road panels with maybe a one inch gap where you can see open air and water far below. This dog whimpered at every single split and had to be coaxed to keep on walking. Maybe a lot of our feeling minds have not caught up with what our technological minds have created, in the form of massive bridges and buildings.
I went to the top of the Space Needle in Seattle and had serious issues with the glass floor. While everyone else was casually strolling around and even jumping on it, happily taking selfies, I was sweating bullets and hugged the center wall where there was a solid floor. I had to drink a beer to calm my nerves before making my way back to the elevator.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heavymind
Interesting topic. OP, I am not trying to sound discouraging, but there may be no way to combat this fear, if it's ingrained. You'll just have to either cope with it or avoid tall bridges entirely.
I live near a very long bridge, and several times I've been stuck in my car in the middle of it due to a wreck or whatever causing a traffic jam, and I always envision the entire bridge collapsing from all the added stationary weight. Same fear when I'm driving under a bridge, especially a rail bridge with a train currently crossing overhead, I always envision that this will be time the bridge finally collapses, with me right under it.
Is it irrational or just imaginative, or a facet of our self preservation? It's not irrational if it can in fact happen...bridges do collapse sometimes. I used to walk a dog on this bridge, where every 50 feet or so there's a split between the road panels with maybe a one inch gap where you can see open air and water far below. This dog whimpered at every single split and had to be coaxed to keep on walking. Maybe a lot of our feeling minds have not caught up with what our technological minds have created, in the form of massive bridges and buildings.
I went to the top of the Space Needle in Seattle and had serious issues with the glass floor. While everyone else was casually strolling around and even jumping on it, happily taking selfies, I was sweating bullets and hugged the center wall where there was a solid floor. I had to drink a beer to calm my nerves before making my way back to the elevator.
Actually at the risk of making the fear worse, that does happen. Both the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and the Lake Washington I90 bridges have fallen. When we were in California the San Francisco Bay Bridge lost a section in the big earthquake of 1989, killing one person. For me, a tunnel is more worrisome. I remember when there was a tanker fire that went through the Caldecott in the Bay Area in 1982, killing 7. The Highway 99 tunnel in Seattle is 1.75 miles long, and opened in 2019. I only went through it for the first time last summer and was uneasy. I never did take BART in that underwater tunnel (transbay tube) from Oakland to San Francisco, that opened in 1974, and still preferred the bridge. The idea of that tube being 3.6 miles under water was just too creepy.
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