PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Delaware Memorial Bridge is quite long, measuring about two miles. At its center span, it’s about 200 feet above the Delaware River.
If you’ve ever white-knuckled your way across a bridge that big, imagine what it's like for those with gephyrophobia — the fear of crossing bridges, or acrophobia — the fear of heights.
Jim Salmon of the Delaware River and Bay Authority says they’ve offered an escort service since the 1960s.
“Pull over right before the bridge. On the right hand side, make sure you're far off onto the shoulder, put your hazards on and an officer will be over to help you shortly,” Salmon said.
A DRBA police officer then meets the driver at the bridge approach and drives their vehicle over the bridge.
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The DRBA receives between 400 and 450 calls for assistance over the bridge each year. They encourage drivers to call and make arrangements ahead of time.
“We don't want people to freeze up on the bridge. There's no shoulders on the bridge, so you can't pull over somewhere to get out of the traffic. Once you're on the bridge, you're on the bridge,” he said.
“It's a program that we're proud of here and it's done for two reasons: One, for the safety of others traveling over the bridge, and also as a customer service to our patrons so that they understand that we're here to help them and we're here to be of service.”
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Ways to treat fear of heights, bridges
Dr. Gerald O’Brien, a longtime licensed psychologist in Bucks County who has treated many people with phobias, says height and bridge phobias are fairly common and treatable with cognitive behavioral therapy.
“That involves a combination of learning more about their fears, recognizing the negative or maladaptive thoughts that they experience that can trick them into fearing their physical sensations. Many people with bridge phobias have experienced panic attacks,” said Dr. O’Brien.
He says there are other options available for treatment, such as visualization. That’s when an individual with a bridge phobia can visualize in the therapist office, as well as at home, being in the feared situation experiencing as best as they can the fears of what they think might happen.
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They would then picture themselves being able to accept, manage and cope with the feared situation — in this case, bridges.
Dr. O’Brien says Virtual Reality therapy, or VR therapy, is also growing in popularity. It involves putting on a VR headset and in three dimensions, they can visualize driving on a bridge.
The DRBA suggests calling ahead of time if you know you’ll have issues crossing the bridge at 302-571-6343 for assistance.