Scared to Drive After an Accident? A 6-Step Ladder

Before you start

• If you were hurt, ask your doctor or pharmacist when you are fit to drive before you begin.
• You can stop any step at any time. Ending a step early at a safe place is allowed, and you can try again tomorrow.
• If memories or flashbacks come, wait until the car is stopped. The accident guide has a short routine for that moment.

The 6 steps

A gentle way back, one small step at a time. Do each step for real, then come back when you are parked and rate how anxious you felt: 0 is calm, 10 is the most anxious you can imagine. The NHS advises staying with a step until the fear has dropped by about half, then moving on. Repeat or skip any step. There is no deadline. 0 of 6 done.

1. Sit in the parked car

   Engine off, about five minutes.

   Sit in the parked car with the engine off for about five minutes. Rate how tense you feel before and after. Leave your phone alone.

   Step 1 done

   Anxiety 0 to 10

   Rate

   Before / 10After / 10Date

2. Engine on, hold the wheel

   Look at the road ahead from where you are parked.

   Switch the engine on and hold the wheel. Look at the road in front of you from where you are parked. Rate again, and stay until the number is lower.

   Step 2 done

   Anxiety 0 to 10

   Rate

   Before / 10After / 10Date

3. A short quiet loop

   A quiet car park or calm street in daylight.

   Drive a short loop in a quiet car park or on a calm street in daylight. Choose a time when few cars are about. If it is too much, stop at a safe place and end the step.

   Step 3 done

   Anxiety 0 to 10

   Rate

   Before / 10After / 10Date

4. A familiar route

   Short, at a quiet time. Plan one or two places to stop.

   Choose a short route you know well, at a quiet time. Plan one or two places where you can stop. Drive it more than once and watch how the score changes from the first time to the third.

   Step 4 done

   Anxiety 0 to 10

   Rate

   Before / 10After / 10Date

5. Go past your trigger as a passenger

   The junction, the highway or the road type that worries you.

   Name your trigger: the junction, the highway or the type of road that worries you. Go past it as a passenger first, so you can see it without driving.

   Step 5 done

   Anxiety 0 to 10

   Rate

   Before / 10After / 10Date

6. Drive it at a quiet time

   Then, later, when it is busier.

   Drive the trigger at a quiet time. Later, when that feels easier, drive it when it is busier. Give each part its own score.

   Step 6 done

   Anxiety 0 to 10

   Rate

   Before / 10After / 10Date

Your ticks and ratings are saved in this browser only and match the Step ladder builder.

If a step feels too big

If a step feels too big, split it into two, or repeat the one before it. A week that goes badly can be repeated. This is a plan, not a test.

Questions