11 Tips to Help You Avoid Emotional Driving (2023 Guide)

If you must drive, then you must put your whole heart into it. You must avoid emotional driving at all costs. Here are proven tips to help you avoid emotional driving.

Numerous individuals use driving as a means to de-stress, escape unpleasant circumstances, or gain mental clarity. But it’s risky to drive while you’re feeling upset.

What is Emotional Driving?

Emotional driving is simply the act of driving a vehicle in the wrong frame of mind.

Driving a car while in a psychological state can be dangerous. According to one study, drivers who are feeling extreme sadness, anger, or agitation are ten times more likely to be involved in a crash.

On the road, intense feelings of worry, anxiety, depression, or excitement are all risks. These are distractions that impair a driver’s ability to recognize or anticipate potentially hazardous situations. In some cases, intense emotional feelings cause drivers to experience delayed reaction times and “tunnel vision.”

An estimated 30% of vehicle crashes (11 million in the United States) are avoidable. These are the ones that are the result of human error, such as emotional or distracted driving. That is why it is critical for drivers to learn techniques for controlling their emotions before getting behind the wheel.

Emotions truly affect how you drive. If you’re feeling particularly strained, your emotions can affect how you respond to other drivers and lead to aggressive or risky driving behavior.

Ways extreme emotions affect you when you drive

When you drive with emotions, you can have tunnel vision, and you are less likely to notice things happening around your car. Also, your observation and reaction times are slower, which affects precision and driving skills that need fast timing.

Driving with emotions makes you unable to predict risky situations accurately. Feeling detached from your surroundings can cause riskier decisions and speeding.

Finally, you are more likely to experience road rage – one of the most dangerous emotions that can lead to a tailspin of negative events.

The Dangers of Emotional Driving

There are many harmful effects of emotional driving.

When emotions are “high,” a driver may engage in aggressive driving or display road rage, both of which can result in criminal charges.

Some of the following actions may result in an accident (these are the dangers of emotional driving):

• Failure to stay within your lane
• Speeding
• Navigating through traffic
• Cutting in front of another vehicle
• Braking hard
• Not paying attention to traffic signals
• Tailgating
• Not yielding to a pedestrian

How to Avoid Emotional Driving

The American Automobile Association offers some tips on how to keep your emotions in check while driving.

They are as follows:

Maintain a mature demeanor. Every time you get behind the wheel, make a conscious effort to put your emotions aside and focus on driving. Also, determine trouble spots. Know ahead of time what traffic situations irritate you. And also consider rush hour traffic. You must learn how to react maturely when you hit rush hour traffic. Tell yourself, “I’m not going to let this get to me.”

Don’t forget to make a plan. Plan a route that will keep you out of stressful situations. Leave early and allow yourself enough time to get to your destination without rushing. Expect others to make errors because they will. Simply accept it.

Please, when you’re upset, don’t drive. You won’t be able to concentrate on driving if you’re angry or emotionally upset. Wait until you have calmed down before getting behind the wheel.

Also, when you’re depressed, don’t drive. Driving while depressed can be hazardous. Prepare yourself. Make it a habit to keep your emotions and driving in check.

Finally, be cautious if another driver is aggressive toward you. With these, you will be able to avoid emotional driving.

Tips to Help You Avoid Emotional Driving: FAQs & Answers

1. How can I avoid emotional driving?

You can avoid emotional driving by practicing stress-management techniques, avoiding multitasking while driving, and taking breaks when needed. It’s also important to address any underlying emotional issues that may be affecting your ability to focus on the road.

2. What are some stress-management techniques that can help me avoid emotional driving?

Techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness, and visualization can help you manage stress and reduce your emotional reactivity. Regular exercise, healthy eating, and good sleep habits can also help you maintain a balanced emotional state.

3. What should I do if I find myself experiencing intense emotions while driving?

If you find yourself experiencing intense emotions while driving, it’s important to pull over to a safe location and take a few deep breaths. You may also want to practice mindfulness or visualization exercises to calm your emotions before getting back on the road.

4. Can emotional driving lead to accidents?

Yes, emotional driving can impair your ability to make sound decisions and react appropriately to unexpected situations on the road, which can lead to accidents.

Must Read: The Impact Of Social Media On Mental Health

Tips to Help You Avoid Emotional Driving

The acts of texting, surfing the web, and eating a cheeseburger are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the issue of distracted driving.

Negative outcomes from car accidents are often caused by drivers allowing their emotions to get in the way.

Feelings of anger, fear, or depression can have as much of an impact on your driving ability as would sending a tweet or being under the influence of alcohol. If things aren’t going your way, here are 11 tips to help you avoid emotional driving:

1. Relax and Take a Few Breaths

Breathing deeply is an effective tool for managing stress and anxiety in everyday life, not only in zen settings like yoga and meditation. It’s not rocket science, and you don’t have to be Bruce Lee to master it. Before getting behind the wheel, it helps to take a few deep breaths and focus on the present.

2. Rest for a While

If taking a few deep breaths doesn’t help, it might be time to get out of the automobile. It’s best to safely drive off the road or onto the shoulder to get some space and think. Getting out of the car and taking a stroll may do wonders, as can stopping for a drink and a bite to eat.

3. Tension Reduction: Play Some Relaxing Music

While the benefits of various musical genres on motorists vary, it’s important to listen to music while driving that helps you stay relaxed and attentive. Wear something comforting but not anything that will amplify your negative feelings. Driving while listening to classical or jazz music is a common practice.

4. You Should Focus on Something Else

It could be simpler to say than to do. If you can’t get your mind off of whatever is bothering you at the moment, at least attempt to focus on anything else while driving. Concentrate intensely on the mechanics and cognitive demands of driving, and give yourself over to the experience.

5. Slow Down

Feeling hurried, worried, or under pressure is never a healthy combination with the wheel. It’s not okay to let your feelings about driving influence your decision-making, even if that’s how you’re feeling. When people are in a rush, they become irritated behind the wheel, which is a major contributor to traffic collisions. If you obtain a speeding ticket or are involved in even a small car accident, you will lose much more time than you otherwise would have.

6. Please Have Someone Else Drive

If you’re with someone else who seems more level-headed and responsible behind the wheel, you can ask them to drive for a time so you can take a breather.

Of course, there will be times when you absolutely must go behind the wheel after experiencing a tense situation, such as an emergency or a confrontation. However, if you keep the following suggestions in mind, you will be more equipped to avoid becoming distracted while driving.

7. Stay away from aggressive drivers

Keep your distance from the other vehicle if you see them driving carelessly. Do not get involved and respond by rapidly increasing or decreasing your speed or swerving your vehicle; doing so will compromise your vehicle’s handling and put you and other motorists in danger. Avoiding reckless motorists is the easiest approach to calm nerves and lessen the possibility of an accident for any driver.

8. Don’t carelessly honk your horn at other drives.

The horn serves as a warning device for motorists and pedestrians. Don’t join in if someone else is venting their frustrations in that way. In addition to making the concerned driver’s situation worse, someone blaring their horn out of aggravation will stress out the other cars on the road and give them a false feeling of security.

9. Put down the phone and concentrate on the road.

One of the worst things you can do behind the wheel is talk on your phone. Turning off your phone or setting it to “do not disturb” is the safest and most stress-free option. Rear-end and run-off-the-road incidents are the most prevalent types of accidents caused by drivers using cell phones while behind the wheel, as reported by Defensive Driving. Not only can phones divert your attention away from the road, but the information you take in through them might alter your mood or even your frame of mind. Because driving necessitates one’s whole attention, it’s dangerous if one’s thoughts wander or are otherwise preoccupied.

10. It’s best to leave some breathing room.

Leaving ample room in front of your vehicle in case the car in front of you breaks down, or an emergency vehicle wants to pass is good practice in general. When driving under stress or anxiety, however, it might be helpful to increase the buffer zone between your vehicle and others around it. Keep plenty of space between your car and others around you on the highway to ensure a smooth merging.

11. Plan on spending more time in transit.

Allow yourself plenty of additional time to get to your destination if you tend to become anxious before long drives. When traveling to a new location, it’s always a good idea to allow for delays due to traffic or getting lost. It’s wise to plan your route ahead of time to prevent being stuck in traffic or having to detour around roadwork. By planning ahead, you may arrive without the stress and anxiety of being late, whether you’re running early or experiencing delays.

Conclusion