Thread: After A Crash?

When I was a kid, I drove a kart off the track into the barriers and I think that experience has stayed with me to some extent.

It must be hard for serious drivers to perform at the levels they do after experiencing a crash. Does anyone here have any first hand experience?

I've never been in a major accident, but I do always find it interesting to hear about the drivers who quit racing after an accident. Some people can go on, others choose not to - I wonder what creates the different reactions.

I've never been in a major accident either. I often wonder how the nascar drivers can get back out there and race again after a big accident. Then again, it's the same with all sports right? How can the NFL player get back out there after getting numerous concussions? Aren't they afriad?

Of the wrecks I have been in during my life (about 4 total, and 2 being serious), they have all to a point stuck with me, but comparing those to pro racers - almost nothing, even though still highly serious wrecks.

2 as a child, 2 as an adult (all the other persons fault), the 2 in adulthood only stick with me for major reasons. The first left me back/forth to doctors 3-4x/week for PT, the latter because my child was in the car with me at the time.

I have been lucky so far and not been in a crash (knock on wood) but I have had some close calls that have been enough to scare me!

I fell asleep at the wheel when I was a teenager once and lost control of the car. Luckily there were no other cars around and I drove through a fence, with no serious damage done.

That didn't really scare me after the fact, but I guess it has stayed with me on a subconscious level.

I have been in a couple of incidents on open road, in my over 40 years of driving, where I ended up with a totaled car, luckily, no one was ever hurt. In competion, I have been lucky to have just a few fairly minor incidents.
But the ones where I came very close bother me more in hindsight, when thinking about them. Witnessing crashes, either live or on TV bother me as well.
However I never had any problems strapping myself into a rally or race car, or getting into my own road going vehicle, any negative thoughts were blanked out well before the start of the events and I was always able to focus on the task at hand.
I have been more scared about incidents happening on open road than what happened during a competition. I guess its a sense of lack of control, since you are at the mercy of other drivers, whom you don't know how they will react, or what they are thinking.

oldcanuck, I have to ask, even after those for racing or those on a normal road - how long did you wait until you got back behind the wheel again? This is something I know many people fail short on, as the long it takes, the more the fear will control the person.

Originally Posted by creg

oldcanuck, I have to ask, even after those for racing or those on a normal road - how long did you wait until you got back behind the wheel again? This is something I know many people fail short on, as the long it takes, the more the fear will control the person.

Waiting? In some cases I was back behind the wheel immediately, I never got so shock up that I could or would not get behind a wheel

I've been in many crashes. Unfortunately, several of them have been severe. It is hard, right after the accident, but for me, the worst moment is that instant when you know it's going to happen and there is no way to avoid it.