Not soft training, but crucial support

Have you developed a fear of driving due to an accident, stress, or trauma? For 25 years, Rijpol has been the place where police officers can get help. Marjan van Bijssum was the first female driving instructor in the Netherlands police. Trained as a haptonomist, she was asked to help two police officers suffering from a fear of driving. Fast forward 25 years: Rijpol has become an institute that has helped hundreds of people, with Marjan at the helm. Last Wednesday, at a conference celebrating Rijpol’s 25th anniversary, Marjan received the Blue Heart from Stichting WEP for her efforts and commitment.

‘Rijpol is the support programme that fear treatment centre IPZO and the Netherlands Police offer to people who are afraid to drive. It’s a special care product offered throughout the Netherlands to police officers and people working for the police. The treatment is aimed at people whose fear of driving prevents them from doing their job or limits their ability to do so’, says Marjan. ‘Their fear is virtually always caused by stress or trauma. It is not limited to the well-known fear of going on the motorway but may also include fear of bridges, tunnels or roadsides, as well as car passenger anxiety.’

‘Fear causes your body to freeze’

‘In 1998, I had finished a haptotherapist course. Haptonomy is all about feeling, the sense of touch. A lot of people get stuck inside their heads as a result of stress, and they can’t cope once feelings and emotions come into play. Fear is also inside your head and can cause your body to freeze. If you have a panic attack, it will trigger a powerful physical response. This fear is stored in the brain, so if you find yourself in the same situation later, your body will remember that fear and freeze again.’

Different cases

'The first people I helped were two quite different cases. The first colleague had been in a serious car accident, while the other was afraid of going on the motorway and was unable to work due to stress. At the time, people could understand the first case, but had no sympathy for the second, which was seen as attention-seeking weakness.

I had had a motorcycle accident myself before I started Rijpol. So I knew what it was like to develop a fear of driving. After my accident, I was in the car with a driving instructor who pushed the accelerator. ‘We can go faster’, he said. He had made no effort whatsoever to imagine what I had been through. That made me so angry that I panicked. Therefore, it’s not only important that Rijpol exists, but also that the intake interview is done properly. This is necessary to find out exactly what a person has experienced and what it is that triggers their fear of driving.’

Dedicated support in every unit

‘Rijpol has eight coaches who help colleagues with a fear of driving. Since 2021, all units have dedicated support staff for these coaches called RCOs (rijangstcoach-ondersteuners). The RCOs can detect fear of driving among colleagues, and can also treat mild cases. In addition, they play a role in preventing the development of fear of driving. They contact colleagues who have been involved in an accident, and invite them for an interview. 

The coaches are responsible for the treatment of colleagues who are referred by the occupational physician. Their complaints often involve avoidance behaviour. They may be afraid to sit in a car or drive a motorcycle, for example. These complaints often require a longer period of treatment. The treatment consists of exposure exercises, and different types of interventions, but always in phases. The intensity is gradually increased.’

Heart rate meter

‘We also let people carry a heart rate meter (HeartMath) to measure their heart rate when it increases. We can show them, for instance, that the fact that we are approaching the place of the accident is causing palpitations, as the location is the trigger stored in their brain. 

We then ask the person in question to close their eyes and do a breathing exercise. This will make people realise that the fear is in their head, while there is nothing wrong in the physical world. Many people who start sweating or whose heart rate increases think they’re having a heart attack. But it is just panic, they’re feeling the stress caused by their fear.’

‘Fortunately, the majority of colleagues we help are able to return to work. Occasionally, if their experience was exceptionally intense, they may choose to come back in a different role. What’s important is that they get to know themselves better, and understand what triggers their fear. They must learn to manage their fears, because everyone has fears. This also means that people sometimes come back to us for a second time. But the second time they’re usually in time instead of too late, which is often the case when we see them for the first time.’

Increasing proportion of men

‘When Rijpol had just started, the number of requests from women far exceeded those from men. Now, the difference is much smaller. The fact that the police offer this kind of support is much more widely known, which has greatly helped in lowering the barrier to start receiving treatment. I’m pleased with that, because it allows us to help more people. 

Eighty percent of requests come from colleagues between twenty and forty years old. This group also includes students who were involved in an incident or suffered other forms of trauma. We also help colleagues who are afraid to drive a motorcycle. And in recent years, we have also helped a number of people who work on ambulances. There, this kind of support is still in its infancy.’

Not back to work, but back on the road

When Marjan tries to recall all of the colleagues she helped, there is one person who stands out. ‘She was a lady whom I had treated several years before, after an accident. She had developed PTSD, unfortunately, and moved to the countryside. She didn’t work anymore, but was also afraid to use her car for private trips. Consequently, she hardly left her house and was unable to visit her grandchildren, who lived far away. She was afraid of all cars and the sound of sirens. Incidentally, this complaint is quite common among people suffering from PTSD. That’s why we have developed specific siren training at the police training track in Lelystad.’

‘The lady in question called me years later. She told me that she’d love to be able to drive again, but couldn’t find anyone to help her. She’d been dismissed for medical reasons. At the time, there were no funds to pay for the treatment of her fear of driving, so I helped her in my free time. She was so afraid. When we went driving together for the first time, she saw a stationary car by the roadside. She refused to drive on and returned home. Jan van den Berg, psychologist at IPZO and one of the RCOs, helped her as well. Now, she is no longer afraid to drive alone, and pays regular visits to her grandchildren.’