I have to ask this, it's been burning since reading one of the Dreamflesh articles about My Dream Self and Me. There's this one part where the author(Jennifer Dumpert) is describing what her dream self likes to do, including:

"She likes to drive but does it poorly, sometimes attempting it from the back seat, which never ends well."

This left me laughing because an extract from my own journal reads:

"I was in [the car] and [a friend] told me to drive even though I knew that I didn't have a licence and I didn't feel confident. I drove badly but we started to ascend a hill."

Another, earlier example, I was having this discussion with a dream woman in a bookshop and:

"Her boyfriend pulled up in an old white Ford which skidded to a halt and she asked if I wanted a lift. I knew that it was a long way to walk home so I accepted. We drove for a short time - mostly sideways!"

lol There are quite a few instances where I have been driving a car and it's been moving sideways or erratically. It was quite funny to see that someone else had this problem.

Does anyone else have driving dreams/like to drive in their dreams, however badly? I'm thinking this must be quite a common occurrence.

Best wishes,

Marion.

um...

I dont know if this is what you are looking for but I have been dreaming about driving and crashing quite a bit recently! In the last one I had I flipped the car right over and onto its roof...

So, I think it covers the unsuccessfull pretty well...

Lol. Were you driving? I mean, were you driving what you'd class as 'normally' until you crashed?

I can't drive but since the age of about 10 I've had dreams where some circumstance has forced me to drive a car. It's always at very complicated islands and motorway junctions and I have no idea which lane I'm meant to be in or anything. It's always scary.

I thought maybe it was just me who had driving dreams. It's good to know I'm not as mad as I thought

That's exactly like the one I had - where my friend was telling me to drive but I was really aware I didn't have the licence and didn't know how to!

Since passing my test, I think I’ve had less dreams about driving and I’ve driven better. But the sideways motion still happens. It's like you're concentrating so hard that the task goes awry - like pushing pressure down on something so hard it skids off to the side.

Marion.

Yup - discovering the brakes don't work, or the steering, or the accelarator or all three! And I'm usually naked of course, with me being more paranoid, but nobody noticing. Including the huge lorry that threatens to engulf me!
I put it all down to overwork/stress/being overtired. If I didn't I'd never get back behind the wheel!
(And driving doesn't bother me - I'm more than capable, so it's not a fear thingy thing.)

See, I’m more like that lady - I'm not much good at dream driving, but I do enjoy it and I’ve never crashed, even though I’ve been totally unable to control the car properly.

A few years ago, I had a *very* cool dream, very realistic, in which I had to escape some bad 'spy men' (random foreign spies- go figure). I was in a parking garage..and found a convertible sportscar. Jumped in, (as you do) and fled the scene going about 80, all in full control of the car although I don't drive cars. Sped around corners, down tricky hills, all around the place...and all of it as if I were a professional. Woke up feeling extremely excited, happy, and 'James Bond'. Remains one of my favourite dreams over all these years!

Must have something to do with confidence in a situation that you're unfamiliar with..how you drive depends, I think, on how well you think you'll do. It was amazing, anyway, so I don't question it.

Yup.. completely normally.. driving down a road... something happend not sure what exactly but the car did one of those... stops suddenly.. flips upright onto its nose and then smashed down onto the roof.. frightening as fcuk!

Woooo, very cool

Actually, spies are a huge one too. My friend always dreams about James Bond style situations with swat teams on the lawn of parliamentary buildings lol

I've had a few too, including a shoot-out in a caravan with the FBI lol

Weird. Maybe it's a release of adrenaline thing, linked to the sort of films and imagery we learn to associate with nail biting situations? Interesting how the FBI and such like have worked their way into archetype...or perhaps represent something that was already inherently there?

Not sure if this is of interest to anybody.

Best wishes,

Marion.

I have had loads of driving dreams (tho I am one of those vehicular dreamers who doesn't have a license). Mostly it's in familiar places and my control is fairly reasonable (tho there have been times when the locations were unfamiliar and/or I felt anxious about trying to drive).
I never seem to reach a destination tho..

I've always wondered what the dreams mean..

I've had that dream quite a few times - or from the passenger seat!

I've also had quite a few dreams of driving a motorbike , when in real life I don't. In one I discovered where the clutch was, to my delight, dropped it and did a few wheelies!

I once had a lucid dream where I was riding a pushbike on a cliff road , skidded, bike went from under me, and I find myself hanging to the cliff edge by my fingertips.
Well, I think , this is a dream, and as everyone knows you never hit the bottom when you fall off cliffs in dreams so I'll just let go.

Wrong! Compound fracture of the femur! That wasn't meant to happen!

LOL This is actually getting quite spooky how many people have had these dreams



What!? In the dream or did ya fall outa bed or summat? What happened?

Best wishes,

Marion.

Er, this could get confusing being that here, the cars are left hand drive. But seriously, I vaguely remember a dream in my teens, where I was enjoying a spin in a right-hand drive MG along a meandering coastline somewhere in Southern France. It seems the driving was of no real significance, rather, the curious little picturesque villages I was buzzing through at the crack of dawn while all was still asleep. It was kind of magical.

This is the only dream I can recall of ever driving. Mine are usually of flying, and that since early childhood. No surprise really, as my mother was in the Luftwaffe!

My worst driving dream involved trying to steer a bus along a road I couldn't see because the driving seat was facing backwards. Very symbolic of something, I'm sure. But when you're determined to see things from the wrong angle, even scary dreams don't get through to you.

O dear, sorry didn't explain that too well...

In the dream, I fell, continued to fall hit the bottom, and smashed my femur.

I just thought it was weird, that I was dreaming,knew I was dreaming, and could think "logically" that these things "never" happen in dreams, and got pissed off that it did.

I don't need to be dreaming to drive badly!

More seriously, I have had dreams where I've been riding a motorbike (never been on one in real life). Usually I'm on country roads, often by water. I don't remember any wheelies, but I usually seem to be able to control it alright!