Is Driving = Aversion Conditioning for hard-core commuters?
 

It's kind of an odd thought that seems reasonable to me so I thought I'd bounce it off the hard-core commuters here. I think that with bicycle commuting we inadvertently condition ourselves psychologically to associate unpleasant sensations with driving.

At first I would drive one day a week on average to rest, run errands or I'll admit it, just to feel like a normal commuter sometimes. As time went on that changed to the point where I'd only drive during the worst inclement weather. Thus driven commutes became exclusively unpleasant, slow, frustrating and dangerous. That peaked with me last year during the ice madness, a three hour ordeal.

By only driving when it is almost certain to be unpleasant, and almost always enjoying the bicycle commute, it seems to me to be, literally, a extended application of aversion therapy. Personally I get the unpleasant gut feeling when considering a drive to work, more so on the return leg. But not when driving to the supermarket, convenience store or anywhere else - those feel perfectly normal.

From wikipedia -

Aversion therapy is a form of psychological treatment in which the patient is exposed to a stimulus while simultaneously being subjected to some form of discomfort. This conditioning is intended to cause the patient to associate the stimulus with unpleasant sensations in order to stop the specific behavior.

It sounds exactly like my driving commutes. The stimulus is driving, the unpleasant sensations are those arising of the worst of driving conditions. What do you think? Do you, the hard-core commuter, have that unpleasant "aversion" feeling toward driving to work? Or have I just conditioned myself somehow in some unusual fashion?

It is a different thing for me. I'll ride during the worst of weather. If there's so much snow that I can't ride, I know that driving would be even worse so I'll walk to the train and take that into work.

I really don't find driving to be at all unpleasant on most days. I can take back roads to work to avoid traffic jams. On a nice day though I'd much rather be on my bike and even on not so nice days, I feel better if I ride.

On average I ride about 4 days a week and drive once but many weeks I won't drive at all. Other weeks I might have to drive a couple of times, usually because of the logistical complications kids bring to your lives.

I'm just averse to losing money from my savings plan. Since the only money I can save, based on my budget setup, is excess gas funds - it pays not to ride and put the unspent portion each pay period into my savings account. So every time I do drive, I realize that whatever I use will cost me in January 2013.

i find driving to have an impact on my mental health. for example, I find myself angry and loosing control of my emotions if someone cuts me off while driving. sure, people buzz you and what not when you are on a bike, but for some reason this has little impact on my emotions.

Today, however, I did drive. Mainly b/c I was sick all weekend and my company has a lame policy in which you accrue no sick days until after 1 year of service. If I had a sick day, I would be at home resting. Otherwise, I'm just waiting on my boss to walk into my office so I can cough all over him and explain how I am going to get everyone else sick b/c of their lame sick day policy.

I started riding and taking the train. 2 miles to the train then 14 miles on it and then another 1.6 miles to work. I have been doing this since the beginning of the year. I drove to work once as I needed to bring my golf clubs. I loved the stress free commute on the train but once I drove it really made that feeling stronger. I hate rubberneckers and dumb drivers. There are tons down here and it's hard to not get stressed driving on I95 near rush hour. You are bound to get cutoff at least 5 times.

I enjoy driving when my employer pays for the gas. Otherwise I usually cycle to work and the store. I don't feel right if I drive to work. So I make sure it doesn't happen.

I agree with the OP, driving to work is OK (slightly faster than by bicycle) , driving home in the rush hour (getting stuck in traffic is a better description ) is something I really hate. Sitting stuck in my car looking at the bicycles riding past me is not my idea of a good time.

I don't even drive when its nasty out and would still rather ride my bike :p

That's where I'm at now. Two questions: looking at it subjectively, are you more reluctant to drive to work than to drive somewhere else? Did you go through a period where you would bike in except when it was really nasty out?

So far, nobody else posting has really backed up my theory of accidental psychological conditioning except possibly yourself and plodderslusk. For it to be "aversion therapy" I think it would have to be consistently always unpleasant when we did drive, and feel a greater reluctance to commute by car than to drive somewhere else.

I haven't done a driving commute since I had an inconvenient summer job in an industrial park when I was 19. So I wouldn't know.

When I don't feel like biking, I take the bus.

I do, however, still associate unpleasantness with driving. I think it's just that, as we drive less, we're not desensitized to the stupid things other drivers do to get to the next light 8 seconds faster.

Not sure I can answer that. I enjoy driving. I don't like driving to work tho. Maybe that's just me.

Even on the days I drive to work I check outside at lunch. If the weather is good I go home and get my bike. I know I'm not saving anything, but I feel better.

I was like this for most of my year commuting. Granted, I could count on one hand the times the weather was really nasty, but the real reason was 1. that I didn't have the right clothing, and couldn't justify buying it just for those couple of days, and 2. I needed to be someplace far away in a short amount of time. There is NO bike infrastructure here, and NO public transportation. None.

I am a huge classic car nut, and I love sports cars... but when I started bike commuting, I was made much more aware of the stupid things drivers do, and the impoliteness of the people in the area. It got to where I disliked driving, because I now noticed everything other drivers did. I still dislike driving if I know there will be traffic.

Fast forward a year, and I get hit by a car and put in the hospital with a shattered femur. All of a sudden, I am required to drive everywhere (after 2 months of rehab I could finally press in a clutch pedal). Now my wife refuses to entertain the thought of me commuting again, and I am stuck riding only on weekends, or (even worse) on a trainer. My car is now requiring lots of maintenance since it sat mostly unused for a year, which causes even more frustration. My diet has been completely ruined, my work is suffering because I no longer get the exercise that allowed me to control my ADD, and I just generally feel yucky because I don't get enough exercise.

So now I'm forced to try to enjoy driving again, which I don't. It scares me even more to think about cycling in traffic, because the drivers and roads are only getting worse. I'm to the point where I'd like to move somewhere to get away from cars all together, but I can't do that even in Ahmish country. Plus, I wouldn't ask my wife to ride a bike everywhere (believe me, I tried).

I am at an impasse. I love cars, but I hate driving them, and yet I have no other choice. My heart is being ripped in half, and there is no relief in sight.

Assumption flaw?
 

I think one of your assumptions is flawed: That commuting by car can be non-painful in any condition.

Now don't get me wrong, there are times when the car is the best tool for the job. I am not anti-car. That said, for my particular car commute, it is never fun, just more painful some days than others. The only bicycle commutes that I have not outright enjoyed are the times I've crashed or extreme tired due to extreme wind or other factors. Here's some more research on the psychology of driving:
From Dr Leon James:
http://bicycling.com/blogs/roadright...-is-road-rage/

I sold my truck and went car-free in November. I had been living extremely car-light for a year before that. I would drive when I had a physical issue bothering me. Now I either tough it out, or take a bus or cab. I still enjoy the occasional drive away from crazy traffic. I hate rush hour in the car, but tolerate it on the bike.

On the flip side, sometimes when I'm depressed and have errands to run, I say "screw it" and stay home. Getting out the door on a bike seems harder.

#1 Not really. I prefer to bike whenever possible.
#2 Yes, but I got over it. I have good gear. If I can't ride there due to weather or whatever circumstance then chances are I didn't need to make that trip anyway. Moving large items is one of the few reasons that I have to use a car.

I don't care about the weather. I don't like to drive because of the traffic and other drivers. Driving is what it is and I'm reminded of why I bike nearly every time I get behind the wheel.

I also haven't had a car in over a year and rarely drove it the year before that. When the lease on my last one was up I just left it at the dealer and rode away. I have a ZipCar membership for the few instances that I need to drive.

I did without a car just fine for 5 years, but only because I could not afford it. I love cars and I love bikes, but I am not hardcore about either. I prefer to drive if it is hot, muggy, humid, raining, I need to get someplace quick, I am wearing a suit, need to go more than 6 miles, or need to haul heavy items.

During the winter a 1988 Trans Am is a terrible car to drive. It can take up to 30 minutes just to scrap ice off and warm up the car. I don't want to risk driving at night with ice and snow on the road nor do I want my car to rust from salty slush on the roads. For those times it is more convenient and quicker to hop on the winter bike.

For me the stimulus and aversion can be flipped at anytime depending on what I am in the mood for.

I ama warm weather commuter. I just don't like being in cars. It does not matter about the traffic and or weather conditions. I will always prefer my bike.

Around here, the best time to ride a bike is when it is nasty out, because traffic gets gridlocked for hours when it snows or even rains hard. Also, I avoid driving my car when there is salt on the road. Consequently, most of my driving takes place under pleasant conditions.

I love driving. Especially a nice sports car on an open freeway or in the canyons. I just hate sitting in L.A. traffic and like saving money by not spending it on gas. I also hate dealing with trying to find parking spots in this town, so I ride. Plus the exercise I get from riding makes me feel good.

Like drcowell, I'm car-free, although for me it's been since fall of '04.

I don't miss driving at all; when I watched the last car roll out of the driveway on the back of the tow truck, I only felt the sense of loss OF FAMILIARITY. It was a fairly new idea, not being car-equipped. I'd been bike-commuting for nearly 4 years already, driving rarely, all by choice. It didn't take long to realize that I not only had ditched the car, I'd CUT THE ANCHOR CHAIN!

I need NO reinforcement to prefer the bike over the car. (And even if I did, I got it about 3 years ago, when I borrowed a family member's car for some holiday shopping; within 6 miles, I was on the edge of a murderous rage.)

I went 5 years car free, now am in a situation with a 24 mile one way commute because of family. Now I drive 3-4 times a week and ride 1-2 times. It's been a tough transition, and hopefully not permanent, but at the end of the day I had to convince myself that it's all in my head. I found myself getting extremely frustrated and unhappy with the drive. It was definitely worsened by the lament of missing my bicycle commute and was affecting my home life and work productivity.

Now I think of what a privilege it is to ride when I can, and how fortunate I am to own a car and am able to afford to drive when needed. I set my cruise at the speed limit, enjoy my coffee, and catch up on audio books or the news when I drive. I see people do stupid things every day when I drive, but I don't let it get to me anymore. Yes I miss my bike, yes I feel better when I bike, but really it's all in my head, and I believe that being an occasional bike commuter has actually made me a better driver than when I was a full time bike commuter. Know your enemy, so to speak.

Some day I'll be car free again, but if it's not an option with your given situation, I don't think it's an excuse for mental problems.

We're not discussing mental problems Jeff. I'm speculating that under some conditions we tend to psychologically condition ourselves to prefer cycling over driving, beyond the usual positive and negative reinforcements that we normally associate with it.

The aversion therapy thing is an interesting theory, but in my case I don't think it flies. Getting around by bike was always normal for me, and the few years when I drove to work it always seemed wrong. I've really never enjoyed driving.

I don't know if it's "conditioning" as much as "realizing just how much better biking is."

You're probably right in general. The specific conditions for my theory to apply appear to be unusual.