I have a phobia of bridges.
I don’t think for me that is so much a fear of heights, although I do have that, or a fear of water, which I don’t, but more like a type of claustrophobia – no place to pull over if something goes wrong - the same reason I don’t like driving through construction zones with jersey walls on either side or driving through very long tunnels.
I once had a serious panic attack while driving over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (supposedly one of the top scariest bridges in the US); I started sweating and shaking, my heart was pounding out of my chest, my ears were ringing and I felt like I was going to pass out. So I rolled down all the windows in my car and turned the radio up loud as it could go and sung at the top of my lungs and held the steering wheel in a death grip, keeping my eyes focused on the car in front of me.
To make matters worse, I had to drive back over it on the way back home on the Westbound span but they had two-way traffic on that span so I couldn’t drive in the center lane.
The Eastbound span is very narrow and is only two lanes wide but has jersey walls, although not very high. The Westbound span is three lanes wide but has a metal guard rail that is open, sort of like a fence and is sometimes is opened to two-way traffic.
That was the last time I drove over it. I’ve been over it since as a passenger though, I just won’t drive over it myself. If I have to drive to the Eastern shore of Maryland, I take the overland route, up through Delaware and down Rt. 13.
FWIW I’ve driven across the Delaware Memorial Bridge a couple of times. I don’t like it, I feel very nervous and get into one of the center lanes, but it’s not nearly as scary as to me as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
And I’m evidently not alone. I would gladly pay someone to drive me across it if needs be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-B3j83ozJkAnd my worst fear – not my driving but someone else’s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vlWg2tNRCc&t=3shttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymQwxN4UZCY
