Do you know someone who has been in an accident and who struggles to get back behind the wheel? Many of us struggle with our confidence behind the wheel and our “overly cautious” and hesitant driving might even present a danger to other road users.

The Arrive Alive website received an email which we would like to share on this Car Insurance Blog:

“I was involved in a car accident 2 weeks back and my car rolled. I came out of the accident without any injuries but obviously there was shock and a whole lot that goes with it. After an hour of my accident I was doing my normal routine and thought was fine though there was fear of driving. I had to drive the following day to get the courtesy car the insurance organised and have been driving since but my problem is that every day I go to work I have to pass the same area I rolled at and I still have fear of rolling again. I feel things that I am told are not there and don’t know how to deal with this. Do you have someone that can help me??? I can’t seem to find where you say one can go for help…”

We referred the visitor to our road safety partner and Emergency medical services provider ER24 for assistance.

The impact that an accident has on an individual will differ from person to person and from incident to incident. We would like to quote from the Arrive Alive website:

Why can an event cause an emotionally traumatic response in one person and not in another?

There is no clear answer to this question, but it is likely that one or more of these factors are involved:

• the severity of the event
• the individual’s personal history (which may not even be recalled)
• the larger meaning the event represents for the individual (which may not be  immediately evident)
• coping skills, values and beliefs held by the individual (some of which may have never been identified)
• the reactions and support from family, friends, and/or professionals

The trauma experiences is not something to be predicted and it is best to leave this in the hands of trained professionals.

Content published with the kind permission of ArriveAlive.co.za 

Click HERE to view more information on Trauma Counseling and Road Safety.