re: Getting vertigo when driving over big bridges?

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Anyone else ever feel that

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Never in reality, but it is a common them in my dreams. Going up highway bridges, way to high, way too steep. Often off of an edge. Going down a huge bridge, super steep, is a less frequent theme, but when that one comes the brakes are never working enough, and the car usually comes off the road because it's so steep. I usually have to take control of the dream at some point because it gets too stressful as it heads toward a point of likely death. Typically I get to some water, splash down and carry on peacefully.

Straight bridges don't bother me it's when there is a turn on a bridge that gets me... Like getting on the I-310 from Airline going East (completely shitty design).. Or coming down the CCC to the West Bank.. Kind of feels like the car is going to tip over.. Very uneasy feeling..

Yeah I really don’t get this. Why would driving over a bridge cause vertigo

Gephyrophobia

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I occasionally will be behind a driver in the right lane and as we approach a bridge, they will move over to the left lane even if it means holding up faster moving traffic. As soon as they cross the bridge, they will ease back over to the right lane.
Wonder if this might be related to the uneasiness you describe?

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100%

It's common for people to not want to be on the outside lane on high bridges. It gives them severe anxiety. People should just chill the frick out on bridges and be patient. It's a short drive.

By the way, the first time it ever hit me was in the Baltimore Harbor tunnel.

Scary as hell...dark and super tight. Tunnel came out of nowhere and I wasn't expecting it. I almost stopped in the tunnel and left the rental car. I was covered in sweat doing about 5mph by the time I exited.

I've not had it before but after reading this thread it's going to frick with my head the next time I drive in to Cincinnati

I did EMDR therapy after bridge anxiety turned into overpass anxiety and I'd start feeling like I was going to lose consciousness over every bit of elevation (in northern CA where there's greater topological variation.) The EMDR focused on the bridge incident (tire blowout) that pushed my minor discomfort into a full blown panic disorder. I reached out for help after I had issues just driving 101 and was consciously taking surface streets to go anywhere. The EMDR helped a lot.

On a side note, can anyone explain why Texas has to build their freeway interchanges so damn high? There's no reason for the interchange from I10 to BW8 to need to soar hundreds of feet in the air with nothing but 3ft guard rails to keep you from going over the side on the curve. And 99 off I10 is even higher. I can't even look at them much less drive them.

Never happened until I traveled across a tall bridge with a kid strapped into a car seat. Now, it happens every time