Issues driving over bridges?

Soldato
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This article on the BBC caught my interest today:

Chesapeake Bay Bridge: Saving drivers too scared to cross

People are paying others to drive them over what looks like a big old bridge there. It got my curiosity as a couple of summers ago I had a bit of incident going over the Millau viaduct. I can get quite bad vertigo and it's usually triggered by height and a lack of reference points - I've had it mostly while scuba diving as sometimes the lack of physical reference (you can feel like you're flying) and movement can be disorientating.

A lot of people associate fear of heights with vertigo don't they - they assume fear of heights is vertigo? I actually think it's the other way around - I get nervous going to heights as I know it can trigger it. It's uncomfortable to say the least - dizzy, sick, and completely discombobulating. To give you an idea, getting it while diving once made me throw up...Not so bad you think, but add in being 30 metres underwater with a regulator in your gob, well it makes it 'interesting'.

As you can imagine having it while driving (it's only happened once) is a bit...nervy. I stopped (!) - I had to, I didn't feel safe. Fortunately it passes in a couple of minutes.

The things that's odd, because that happened it's made me more conscious of it even crossing bloody Dartford, go figure :confused:

I'm vaguely pleased that it's not just me! Although it's annoying me as I think it's getting worse for me, rather than better.

Does anyone else get this...?
 
Associate
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Nope. It's just a bridge.

Fair enough if you're scared, but I don't see how paying someone else to drive you helps. It's not even a dodgy bridge.
 
Soldato
OP
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Oh I know that. I'm not afraid of heights but I do suffer with vertigo - I've just learned that for me heights and disorientation can be a trigger for it. Doesn't happen very often fortunately.
 
Soldato
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Nope. It's just a bridge.

Fair enough if you're scared, but I don't see how paying someone else to drive you helps. It's not even a dodgy bridge.

Because if you were to really suffer, it can make you feel awful and as the OP points out, even throw up - not what you want whilst driving your car really if you can avoid it.
 
Soldato
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fear of heights is Acrophobia, has not a single thing to do with Vertigo, which is balance related.

when I was younger I had an inner ear disorder that used to make it feel as though I was moving, when I wasn't, would get dizzy and nauseous, but it was never ever triggered by heights or anything like that. had something to do with fluid in the ear or something I think.

so having a fear of driving over a high bridge will be acrophobia.

Edit: in fact vertigo is more like what happens when you've had way way too much to drink and you lie in bed at night and the room seems as though its spinning.
 
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