Yellow lights make me anxious .. incredibly anxious and I’m not sure how to fix this

[Anonymous]

It’s like the light turns yellow and my stomach and brain get hyper alerted. I don’t know whether to speed up or slow down and I get decision paralysis or nerves. It’s awful. I’ve been driving for decades now and it’s still not gone away. I’m generally an indecisive person unfortunately overall but the stress of a yellow light is next level for me.

Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Drive slower so you can stop. At least if you run a yellow you will be most of the way through the intersection by the time it turns red.

Yesterday I almost ran a red for the first time. I was behind a truck (which probably ran the yellow), so I couldn't see the signal. It took one second to see it was red, and another second to realize I need to slam on the brakes. I will not be following trucks so closely anymore.

[Anonymous]

How old are you? You might run this past your doctor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s like the light turns yellow and my stomach and brain get hyper alerted. I don’t know whether to speed up or slow down and I get decision paralysis or nerves. It’s awful. I’ve been driving for decades now and it’s still not gone away. I’m generally an indecisive person unfortunately overall but the stress of a yellow light is next level for me.

Sigh.

Just err on the side of caution and always stop early, just don't slam on the brakes.

"Yellow light means start the braking process"

[Anonymous]

It's also good to get familiar with the lights you go through a lot. Some have realllllly long yellows. I always stop at yellows so I know this. I feel like the car behind me thinks I'm an idiot but better safe than dead.

[Anonymous]

So just slow down for all of them? Why bother being indecisive if it stresses you out that much. Obviously you don't slam on your brakes because that's dangerous, but just slow down and stop.

[Anonymous]

Drive faster. You are probably one of those annoying slow drivers that brakes for anything instead of first stepping off the gas and evaluations the situation.

[Anonymous]

Brake HARD to a stop on ALL yellow lights.

This ensures that 1) you’ll never get a red light camera or speed camera ticket, and 2) every now and then, you’ll really piss off people like the poster ^^^ above ^^^, and that’s a good thing, too.

Maybe someone like the poster above will rear-end you, too, in which case you can get a nice settlement out of their insurance company. Which is also good. Their rates go up because they’re a dangerous driver, and you get a check. Win win.

[Anonymous]

If when you’re coming up to a green light you glance at the walk signal, it will help determine if the light is about to turn yellow.

[Anonymous]

Just follow the rules. Yellow means step on the gas. Floor it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s like the light turns yellow and my stomach and brain get hyper alerted. I don’t know whether to speed up or slow down and I get decision paralysis or nerves. It’s awful. I’ve been driving for decades now and it’s still not gone away. I’m generally an indecisive person unfortunately overall but the stress of a yellow light is next level for me.

Sigh.

Just err on the side of caution and always stop early, just don't slam on the brakes.

"Yellow light means start the braking process"

Nah. Drop two gears and floor it.

[Anonymous]

Yellow means hurry up and get through. Never stop on a yellow light. I will be right there laying the horn on you until that light turns green again.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you have poor visual spatial abilities. Maybe just don’t drive. Nervous people like you cause accidents.

[Anonymous]

I used to feel this way when I first started driving as a teen. Then I came up with my own little policy - if I had enough time to safely stop, I would stop. To hell with anyone behind me who doesn't like it. And once I had that policy in place, I felt better and no longer anxious.

As I've gotten older, it's evolved more into "can I make it?" but if you're anxious, that's not a good standard.

Can you try that? Having a clear rule might help for the indecisiveness. If that doesn't work, it might be time to see a therapist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yellow means hurry up and get through. Never stop on a yellow light. I will be right there laying the horn on you until that light turns green again.

I'm the 13:57 poster and you're a jerk.

And, OP, I've run into annoyed people at this policy maybe twice in five years of strict adherence. A small beep or shrug, never anything worse. Most people are kind. And some crazy person with poor time management skills is not your problem.