Do you feel too nervous to drive? Do you make excuses to avoid driving your car? Did you put off getting your license because you did not really want it?

There are people who suffer from a driving phobia. You may be among them. This happens for many reasons, but one of the most common is when there was some sort of traumatic experience involving driving or riding in a car earlier in your life.

For instance, one woman was always afraid to drive and did not know why. She went to therapy. Eventually, she remembered something that had stayed buried for years. Her mother had been trying to drive a car when she nearly killed a man. As a child, she remembered sitting in the car as the man yelled at her mother about how he had almost died.

That woman had not been responsible in any way, since she was a child at the time, but the event with her mother had a drastic impact on her life.

That said, it doesn’t have to be a lost childhood memory. Maybe you enjoyed driving until another driver hit you at an intersection. You suffered serious injuries and a loved one died. In the wake of the accident, you developed a phobia.

If you have experienced something like this, it’s important to consider the mental and emotional ramifications of an accident. They can change your life just as much as any physical injuries. You may need to meet with therapists and other medical professionals. You may never be able to work again if you had to drive as part of your job. When facing all of these changes and costs, you need to know if you can seek compensation.