Thanks for the comments, and I don't recall seeing you here on the list before, so welcome!
I've been using some of the same things you mentioned when driving (and actually when I have to be a passenger, too, as that's most often the case when I have my worst evening RLS-- I'm usually with my husband if I'm out at night.) Interesting that sometimes it really does HELP to try and keep your mind off it, and busy. Of course, I'm blessed with still mild, though frequent RLS, most of the time.
When I felt my RLS coming on Christmas Eve night at the start of a long drive home with my husband, I tried to very consciously relax and not dwell on the sensations. It didn't exactly go AWAY, but it never got much worse, so the drive was not as miserable as I feared it might end up being. Just mildly uncomfortable, so hey, that's not bad.
I suspect that the reason I'd not experienced RLS driving much before I started this thread is that I try to really concentrate when I drive. I'm always on either steep, winding mountain roads or maneuvering around big rigs on the interstate, so there's lots to be aware of to stay safe. Probably good in the long run that my driving DOES take so much of my attention.
Take care and thanks again for the suggestions.
Oh, and have you had a habit of bouncing your foot/leg for a while, or did you start consciously for RLS? I always tended to bounce mine, and I was wondering if even early on it might have been because of RLS discomfort, even when I didn't recognize it as a specific condition? I know a number of us here were chastised for being "fidgety" when we were kids, and some of us suspect it was because we had RLS. I know that OUR fidgety 12 year old just recently started having what appear to be classic RLS episodes at typical times-- evening, when over-tired, when ill. I'm glad I was never to harsh with him about his childhood wiggles.
Sara