Phobia Forces 1,500 To Seek Help Crossing The Mackinac Bridge

MACKINAW CITY (WWJ) - You've probably heard of claustrophobia and arachnophobia — but a lesser known disorder, gephyrophobia, is the reason for a special service offered in Mackinaw City, Michigan.

It's a fear of bridges.

"We have about 1,500 customers that are feeling uncomfortable about driving across the bridge each year, and we'll drive their vehicles for them," said Bob Sweeney of the Mackinac Bridge Authority. "We don't charge any additional fee to do that other than the tolls that they would typically pay."

Many love driving across the Mighty Mac — which is the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world. But, Sweeney said, for those who can't handle it, they have staffers on hand who can drive any type of vehicle.

"We have a phone booth at the south end, and als  they can stop at the administration booth at the north end," Sweeney told WWJ Newsradio 950's Greg Bowman. "A lot of times they hear about it and they call our office and then we make arrangements to pick them up."

"We have a truck driver that comes once a month and we drive him across," he said. "And we have a couple of customers who commute every day and we drive them across."

But why would the iconic overpass, frequently photographed and appearing on postcards, scare someone?

"Well, for whatever reason: the length (26,372 feet), the water, you know, the height that you are above the water (200 feet in the middle)...also the amount of distance that you're covering over the water — one of the two or both factor into the phobia that they have," Sweeney said.

Some other possible explanations of gephyrophobia, experts say, may be the fear of the structural integrity of the bridge itself, or the fear that the bridge will collapse if they try to cross it.