A traditional interpretation of dreams about accidents is that our subconscious is warning us against potential danger or hidden aggression, whether this danger comes from within us or from someone else.
From a psychologist’s perspective, accident dreams often symbolize anxieties about safety or a fear of assuming responsibility in life.
Car crash dreams are usually subconscious warnings you need to retake control of your life before disaster strikes. Maybe you are pushing yourself to burnout or not paying attention to dangerous situations. However, car crash dreams can also be a form of self-punishment for guilt you feel in waking life.
A common theory that accident dreams are a message from the subconscious, because it has noticed something unsafe in your waking life that your rational waking mind has overlooked or ignored. In this case, accident dreams are both a reminder, and a warning.
On occasion, an accident dream can symbolize anything from fears of being in an accident (or memories of an accident) to a sense that an unfortunate thing is going to happen.
Accident dreams often occur when we are so absorbed in something that we do not pay attention to certain aspects of our lives. It’s also easy to get so wrapped up in the rat race that we don’t see we need to slow down. If ignored for too long, these aspects of our lives risk “crashing”, causing us harm.
Vehicles often symbolize our physical bodies, so you might dream about a car or plane crash if you’re worried about your health.
That being said, accident dreams (even when violent) can be a positive sign since they may symbolize you’re letting go of some part of your life, perhaps a trauma or ending a difficult phase.
1. Car accident dreams as a warning sign
You might have a car accident dream as a warning to slow down before disaster strikes, or as a sign that you’re pushing yourself to the breaking point or burnout. If you want to have the best outcome, you will need to rethink, or replan, your course of action.
For example, if you’ve been thinking of having an affair with a married colleague, you might dream that you’re hit by a car while running across the street.
Dreams like this can mean you’re subconsciously punishing yourself for something you’ve thought, said, or done, and that the accident symbolizes pent up guilt. There is also a possibility that you are deeply anxious about being found out.
2. Car accident dreams as a reminder to pay attention
Having car accidents dreams may indicate that your mind is urging you to pay attention to situations in your life that are unsafe and endanger your life.
As an example, you might dream about a teenager getting hit by a car on the street outside a gas station, only to read a few weeks later of a teenager that was struck by a car just as in your dream.
There’s a high chance you’ve noticed how dangerous the street is, after reading about the growing number of teens killed in car accidents due to texting drivers, and, without realizing it, you’ve noticed that such an accident was likely to happen at that particular spot.
Every day, our subconscious is flooded with these kinds of subtle clues and subliminal information, which it then communicates back to us in the form of dreams.
3. Dream of a car accident but surviving and not hurt
An accident dream can also be a representation of your worries about getting into an accident in real life. Maybe you’re nervous about driving or riding the train, boat, or plane.
To understand this kind of dream, try to remember what impact the crash had on your dream self.
Did you get injured or come out unscathed? If you were not injured, this could indicate you are strong enough to handle whatever life throws at you. However, if you were injured, this is a sign you aren’t as capable as you think and need to develop yourself.
Finally, in your dream, did you succeed in rescuing something or someone? If yes, then it’s possible there’s someone in your life who needs your protection or help. It could also mean that there’s a part of yourself that is still worth saving, no matter how flawed.
4. Car accident dreams as a form of self-punishment
Accidents in dreams generally indicate you’re afraid to be punished for something you’ve said or thought.
In the same idea however, accidents in dreams could be your subconscious way of punishing yourself because you feel guilty, wrongly or rightly, for doing something in your waking life.
Does this resonate with some part of you? If yes, do a deep dive of yourself and try to uncover the cause that might push you into this compulsive desire of self-punishment.
The clearest indication of this is if you are the one driving, since there’s a clear dream connection of you causing the car crash, and thus, the self-punishment.
The question you need to ask yourself then is what is causing you these feelings of guilt?
If you can resolve the guilt-feelings (that are almost certainly irrational and cannot contribute anything worthwhile to your life or anyone else’s), then the self-inflicting violence should end too.
In most cases, the cause that generates these feelings will be a fantasy story we tell ourselves, rather than the real, honest truth.
Is it really you who killed your father if, for example, you believed that the cause of your self-guilt and consequent self-punishment was his death?
Other experiences that might cause accident dreams would be break-ups, since you feel responsible for the end of the relationship, or being laid off from work.
5. Car accident dream where someone is run over
How worried are you about getting into an accident? Has something you’ve done hurt or injured someone?
An accident that kills a loved one in your dream implies that something within you has died. Having a dream about someone going through an accident could also imply you’re anxious about their well-being.
You can also interpret it as a symbol of your own relationship with that person. This relationship might need to end, or you might need to move on from the current phase and grow it into something new.
As an example, the accident might symbolize the end of a relationship’s honeymoon phase, which must now be replaced by the committed love & relationship phase.
If you dream that a person is run over by a car, it may indicate that you have hidden anger toward that person; or that you recognize and despise an aspect of yourself represented by that person.
If the victim is identifiable as someone in real life, then, no matter how important that person is to you and how much you love them, you must consider the possibility that maybe you are harboring unconscious hostile emotions or desires towards that person.
An example of this is being jealous of a sibling, or feeling resentful towards parents that limit your freedom.
If the accident in your dream happens to someone you do not recognize, you have to figure out the person’s identity, or what part of yourself that person represents.
Despite your concern for the person’s safety or well-being, the anxiety might be a repressed antagonism towards them. Remember, people repress their feelings and desires because they are considered unacceptable.
Even if you find these feelings or desires disgusting or morally repugnant, it is better to confront them in the light of consciousness than to let them fester or poison your mind from the depths of the subconscious.
Repressing an emotion does not make it go away (and what is out of sight is not out of mind), and neither does repression end an emotion’s destructive powers.
Dreams involving traffic accidents are often intertwined with sexuality or self-image, as well as the way we solve conflicts or carelessness, both in those around us and ourselves.
In this case, a car accident might suggest you’re experiencing a personal conflict with someone.
Having road rage means not controlling our emotions, while avoiding an accident means you are in control of your emotions and not the other way around.
6. Witnessing a car accident in a dream
Witnessing a car accident in a dream implies you need to carefully observe some important aspects of your life. It may be that you’re being held accountable for your actions, beliefs, or viewpoints.
Another interpretation is that witnessing someone else’s car accident means you don’t feel confident and secure enough to handle everyday life challenges and difficult situations.
Finally, being in a witness box suggests you are accountable to a higher power.
Resources and references:
- A dictionary of symbols by Cirlot, Juan Eduardo
- A dictionary of symbols by Chevalier, Jean
- Dictionary of symbols by Chetwynd, Tom
- A dictionary of dream symbols : with an introduction to dream psychology by Ackroyd, Eric
- Illustrated dictionary of symbols in eastern and western art by Hall, James
- Dictionary of symbols and imagery by Vries, Ad de
- Symbolism : a comprehensive dictionary by Olderr, Steven
- Dictionary of mythology, folklore and symbols by Jobes, Gertrude
- The complete dictionary of symbols by Tresidder, Jack
- The dream dictionary from A to Z by Francis-Cheung, Theresa
- 1001 dreams by Altman, Jack
- The Watkins dictionary of dreams by Reading, Mario
- Dictionary of dreams : interpretation and understanding by Colin, Didier
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