Driving anxiety can occur in many different forms. Some people with the condition are afraid of driving in very specific situations, such as driving in bad weather. This is usually referred to as a specific driving phobia.
Specific driving phobias can also include the fear of driving over a bridge, driving on the highway, and driving at night.
A complete fear of driving in any situation is usually the rarest form of driving anxiety. “Driving phobia,” as it is called, typically prevents people from doing any driving at all.
One particular driving fear that has recently been getting more attention is range anxiety.
Range anxiety causes people to feel afraid of being stranded while driving their electric car. Because electric cars tend to have less mileage than cars that run on gasoline, a lot of people feel concerned about the amount of distance they can travel without having to worry that they may run out of power, especially in a very deserted area or in the middle of a busy roadway.
BMW, long respected for its high-quality vehicles, is trying to eliminate some of the fears related to electric cars.
BMW has come up with a “range extender,” a small engine which can be added on to one of their electric car models. This will allow drivers of the car to feel more secure and less worried about running out of power while driving.
If you want to know more about BMW’s electric car, called the i3, visit the link to the original New York Times article below.
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