I – Driver Under the Influence
Series: Road Without Signs — On the Psychology of Moving Through a World Increasingly Run by Others
If the driver is in control of the vehicle — what controls the driver?
Fear? Habit? Mood? The belief they know where they're going?
Rarely do we stop to think that every movement of the hand on the wheel has its precursor in thought.
But what if those thoughts aren't truly ours — but borrowed long ago?
What about what comes before the thought?
What about the deeply ingrained patterns and beliefs — the ones we no longer notice, because we've inherited, absorbed, or practiced them for years, never questioning if they’re still true?
A driver who slows down at the sight of a blinking green light might not be cautious — but taught not to take risks.
A driver who gets irritated the moment someone overtakes them might not be protecting their space — but proving their worth.
Many reactions don’t come from the present moment, but from internal maps formed long ago — maps that often belong more to the past than to the road ahead.
When someone sits behind the wheel, they don’t just take a physical position in the vehicle — they take a psychological stance of control, authority, responsibility, and self-projection.
Driving isn’t merely about getting from point A to point B.
It’s a daily ritual in which patterns of behavior, temperament, emotional regulation — and unconscious drives for affirmation, dominance, or escape — come to light.
The Steering Wheel as a Mirror of Character
The way someone drives is often a continuation of how they function in life:
• The Impatient Driver
Doesn’t just display urgency — but a need to always be ahead, no matter the cost.
Their driving is often a mirror of inner restlessness and a constant chase for validation, even when there’s no real opponent.
They'll overtake on short stretches, speed up at the sight of a red light, and grumble whenever someone "slows down the tempo."
They behave similarly outside the car — they can’t tolerate waiting in line, interrupt before sentences end, and are constantly seeking some form of "advantage."
Research shows that young drivers, particularly those aged 18 to 22, exhibit pronounced impatience — regardless of gender. Both men and women in this group react impulsively, treating driving as a space to prove momentum rather than maintain stability.
Interestingly, women with 11–15 years of driving experience showed the highest impatience levels of all respondents.
This suggests that impatience isn’t reserved just for the young or inexperienced — it can also evolve over time as a reaction to accumulated frustration, life’s tempo, or a chronic sense of overload.
• The Overcautious Driver
Doesn’t necessarily express virtue — but fear of making a mistake.
They see every turn as a potential threat, interpreting the world as a space where it’s safer to stop than to err.
They drive slowly even when the road is empty, yield even when they have the right of way, sometimes not even moving when the light turns green.
In life, they often delay decisions, seek reassurance that everything is “safe,” and struggle to take risks, even when needed.
🔗 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/driving-anxiety
Someone who has experienced stressful or unpleasant moments behind the wheel often becomes more cautious — not because the situation is truly dangerous, but because their subconscious is trying to avoid a familiar unpleasant scenario.
This is particularly evident in cases such as:
- driving in severe weather — storms, snow, or fog,
- after experiencing road rage incidents,
- following a panic attack while driving, or
- feeling lost and disoriented on the road.
• The Fearful Driver
Doesn’t respond to actual danger — but to inner insecurity and a perception that the world is neither predictable nor safe.
Their reactions are often exaggerated — it’s not danger that rattles them, but the sense of losing control.
They flinch at every sound, brake suddenly even when no one is near, and become visibly agitated when driving unfamiliar routes.
Outside the vehicle, small changes in plans or unexpected words may upset them — as if every departure from routine feels threatening.
The fearful driver is not merely reactive — they often carry a deeper story, a moment when fear first replaced control. In the story of a father and son, this moment arrives when the boy drives for the first time — and a herd of deer runs in front of the car. What follows is more than a technical lesson — it’s a paternal message: “If you give up now, fear will become your habit.”
Not every fear is harmful. But if we don’t face it promptly — it takes the wheel. And sometimes, the greatest gift a parent can offer is not safety — but the patience to wait until we take the wheel again, on our own.
• The Driver Who Never Responds to a Horn
Might not react to injustice — even when it’s loud or persistent.
Their silence is often not calmness — but learned passivity in the face of signals that demand a response.
They stay in the middle of the road even when others signal, drive monotonously regardless of context, as if locked in their own rhythm.
The same patterns often appear in life — avoiding conflict, staying silent even when hurt, and choosing to endure rather than speak up.
🔗 https://psychcentral.com/disorders/helping-to-understand-the-passive-aggressive-personality-trait
Such behavior is rarely accidental: a passive-aggressive person denies their dissatisfaction, yet expresses it indirectly — through delay, sarcasm, or intentional omission.
Often rooted in early experiences where direct expression of needs was discouraged, they resort to indirect coping mechanisms like procrastination, stubbornness, or “punishing silence.”
What seems like indifference is sometimes just a hidden protest — one that never becomes loud.
In the Next Chapter:
Perhaps the real question isn’t what controls the driver — but what moves them when no one’s watching.
What shapes the route when it seems like we have a choice?
And where do we truly arrive when we reach our destination?
Sometimes, we don’t drive toward a place — we drive away from something.
And sometimes, driving is the only space where we feel like ourselves.
In the next essay, we explore what we really carry with us behind the wheel — and why a car isn’t just a vehicle, but a reflection of our inner journey.