Driving anxiety: Five expert tips for overcoming your fear

With more than 200 million Americans licensed to drive, it’s safe to say that driving is considered to be a common mode of transportation across the country. People drive to work, to school, to see friends, and to appointments — making it a routine part of many people’s daily lives.    

So what happens when something holds you back from driving to your destination? For people with driving anxiety, an intense level of fear and distress can make it difficult to drive or even get into the car. 

Driving anxiety can feel overwhelming, but with the right tools and resources you can find ways to build your confidence, overcome anxiety symptoms, and get back behind the wheel. 

What is driving anxiety?

Driving anxiety is defined as distress, fear, or apprehension related to driving a vehicle, like a car or bus. According to one national poll, approximately 66% of Americans experience driving anxiety, with more women than men feeling anxiety behind the wheel.

For people with driving anxiety, fears about getting behind the wheel can play out in a number of ways. Driving anxiety ranges from a bit of stress while merging onto a highway to a full-on panic attack at the thought of driving to work. And when unmanaged, driving anxiety can cause a range of symptoms that impact relationships, professional success, and overall mental health and well-being. 

Physical symptoms include:

• Dry mouth
• Nausea
• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Racing heart
• Sudden and intense fear

Although driving anxiety is not an official condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), it is associated with specific phobias like amaxophobia, an extreme fear of driving or being a passenger in a vehicle, and anxiety disorders.

What causes driving anxiety?

1. Past traumatic experiences

 Mental health professionals define a traumatic experience as a shocking, scary, or dangerous event that can affect people emotionally and physically. Experiencing trauma, such as being in a car accident or even witnessing an accident, can make people feel anxious about driving. Other examples of traumatic experiences that can lead to driving anxiety include:

• Getting lost
• Driving alone at night
• Being exposed to road rage
• Driving during inclement weather
• Having a panic attack while driving
• Receiving devastating news while driving

2. Fear of accidents or traffic

Traffic accidents are a leading cause of death in the United States, so it’s understandable that many people struggle with driving or being in a vehicle. For some people, accident anxiety may be an irrational fear, which is an intense concern that’s considered disproportionate to the situation.

3. Lack of confidence in driving skills

Performing basic driving maneuvers can cause anxiety if you’re not comfortable with your driving skills. This may include:

• Reversing
• Merging onto highways
• Making unprotected left turns
• Passing other vehicles
• Switching lanes 

Driving anxiety can impact new drivers, older drivers, or anyone who hasn’t driven recently and doesn’t feel as confident behind the wheel. 

4. Social anxiety related to driving

People with social anxiety, a fear of being watched and judged by others, may also struggle with driving anxiety. Worrying about making mistakes in front of other people or feeling self-conscious about your driving abilities can be a significant source of social anxiety. 

Some people may also struggle with driving expectations, such as maintaining the speed limit or navigating crowded parking lots or intersections.

Signs it’s time to seek professional help for driving anxiety 

While it’s normal to feel some level of stress in certain driving situations, there’s a clear difference between normal nervousness and driving anxiety. Many people experience mild nerves in specific situations, such as driving on icy roads at night, but driving anxiety is characterized by an intense fear that’s often disproportionate to the situation. 

Nervousness is usually temporary, while driving anxiety is a persistent problem that can impact your ability and willingness to drive.

Here are five signs that you may benefit from professional help for driving anxiety:

1. You feel anxious or stressed when you get into a vehicle
2. You avoid driving as much as possible, even if it means neglecting responsibilities or avoiding people and places that bring you joy
3. You’re nervous about losing control while driving
4. You’re concerned that you’re going to hit someone or something while driving
5. You experience physical symptoms at the thought of driving, such as sweaty palms, shortness of breath, dizziness, and racing heartbeat

Five tips to overcome driving anxiety

Driving anxiety can make it difficult to go about your business. Here are some practical tips to help you build your confidence and overcome a fear of driving.

1. Know your triggers

One way to manage anxiety, including driving anxiety, is to understand how to spot your specific triggers. Some questions to ask yourself include:

• When does the anxiety start?
• What makes the anxiety peak? This could be heavy traffic, driving over bridges, or having passengers in the car.
• Is there anything that reduces anxiety symptoms?

2. Practice relaxation techniques

Mindfulness, meditation, and deep breathing exercises are useful practices to help people relax, cope with anxiety, and cultivate a calmer mindset. These techniques can be done from just about anywhere, making them especially useful for people who experience anxiety while in their vehicle. 

3. Try exposure therapy

Exposure therapy is a type of treatment that was designed to help people confront their fears in a safe, controlled environment. It’s used to support behavior change linked to a variety of mental health conditions, like phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder. 

During graded exposure therapy, therapists will ask clients to list their fears in order of intensity, starting with the most mild exposures then progressing to more difficult ones over time. For people with driving anxiety, this may start with something as simple as sitting in a car and culminate with driving home from work during rush hour traffic. 

Some research also suggests that virtual reality exposure therapy is an effective tool for helping people overcome driving anxiety.

4. Consider professional driving lessons

If it’s been a few years since you passed your driver’s test or you feel you could use some extra support, consider going to driving school or finding one-on-one lessons to improve your skills. Defensive driving courses provide opportunities to ask questions, learn how to navigate potential road hazards, and feel more comfortable while driving. 

5. Practice in a controlled environment

Instead of avoiding driving because it gives you anxiety, try making it a priority to practice in a safe way instead. By making time to practice driving in a controlled environment, you have an opportunity to face your fears and improve your skills in a setting of your choosing. For example, if parallel parking is a major concern, set up some cones in an empty parking lot so you can practice without pressure.

Overcome driving anxiety with support from Rula 

If driving anxiety affects your daily functioning or has a negative impact on your mental health, consider consulting a therapist who specializes in treating phobias and anxiety disorders. 

Therapists and other mental health professionals are trained to use therapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy, to help people change unhelpful behavioral patterns and manage symptoms of anxiety. In some cases, your provider may even suggest medication to help reduce the frequency and severity of anxiety symptoms.

If you think you’d benefit from anxiety therapy or medication management, Rula is here to help. Rula makes it easy to find a licensed therapist who’s in network with your insurance, accepting new clients, and has experience caring for your unique needs. Our network of over 10,000 licensed therapists means you can be seen from the comfort of your home (no driving required) as soon as tomorrow.  

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