How to Overcome the Fear of Driving: Practical Tips for Gaining Confidence on the Road
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Driving is a necessary skill in most parts of the country. Many people rely on their car to go to work or to run errands daily. Despite how common driving is and the necessity of travel, about one in 10 Americans have a fear of driving.
People learn how to overcome the fear of driving in numerous ways. You can overcome your phobia of driving with the right tools, techniques, and guidance. Through behavioral therapy and deep breathing exercises, you can learn to control your anxiety level and feel more at ease behind the wheel.
What Is Driving Anxiety?
Driving fear or anxiety is also known as amaxophobia. It manifests in a few ways, including the fear of driving or of being a passenger in a vehicle. Typically, the anxiety can reach such levels as to produce a panic attack, leading to rapid breathing, quickened heart rate, and feelings of dread.
Amaxophobia can lead to the avoidance of driving or turn you into a fearful driver. Driving safely should always be the goal and can even help you get car insurance discounts. But being a fearful driver can be dangerous. If you avoid driving, you limit opportunities for personal growth and social interactions. By forcing yourself to drive despite your fear, your panic might cause accidents through diminished response times or overly cautious driving, resulting in higher auto insurance quotes.
The best way to protect yourself and others is to learn how to overcome and understand your fear of driving. By diagnosing your fear and taking action to overcome it, you can improve your confidence as a passenger and driver in the future.
Causes of a Fear of Driving
Amaxophobia has many possible causes, each unique to the affected individual. The factors contributing to the phobia, however, likely stem from two distinct areas.
1. Psychological Factors
The key to learning how to overcome a fear of driving is understanding the psychological reasons behind it. For many people, a driving fear stems from past traumatic experiences, such as car accidents. Sometimes, a person doesn't need to be part of the accident. Simply seeing it is enough to trigger anxiety.
A person might experience amaxophobia if they have other panic disorders, like social anxiety or agoraphobia. They might have a fear of losing control, of unknown or unfamiliar roads, or of high speeds. Car insurance companies can offer some anxiety relief by providing financial protection in case of an accident.
It's also possible the fear stems from a learned behavior. Perhaps you had a parent or someone close to you who was afraid of driving. Maybe you saw frightening media portrayals of car accidents at an impressionable age.
2. Environmental Influences
The environment can affect your feelings about driving, as well. For example, driving in heavy rain or congested traffic can make a driver uncomfortable. Depending on the severity of the experience, it can have a lasting impression that manifests as a phobia.
Common Symptoms of Driving Anxiety
Before you can learn how to overcome the fear of driving, it's beneficial to understand how that anxiety affects you. Driving anxiety can appear in both physical and emotional ways.
Physical Symptoms
Physical symptoms of amaxophobia depend on the individual. In most cases, anxiety or panic results in sweating, an increased heart rate, heavy breathing, and trembling. Some people might experience more severe symptoms like chills, dry mouth, lightheadedness, and nausea.
Emotional Symptoms
The phobia often develops into irrational thinking, producing fear, panic, and worry. For some people, it results in a persistent sense of dread and catastrophic thinking.
Emotional symptoms usually cause drivers to make excuses to avoid driving. Those who still drive may take longer routes, avoiding busy roads and expressways. They may also be overly cautious because of a concern about hitting someone or something.
Practical Steps To Overcome Driving Anxiety
You don't have to let fear rule you. You can take practical steps and learn how to get over the fear of driving. The method you choose depends on the severity of your phobia.
Someone with severe amaxophobia might want to try exposure therapy — a cognitive behavioral therapy that helps treat a phobia by increasing a person's exposure to it in a controlled environment. A patient who fears driving might start the treatment by watching videos of situations involving vehicles. The patient will learn to control their emotional responses through deep breathing exercises. As they progress through the therapy, they will make their way behind the wheel of a car and keep advancing until they can ride in and then drive the vehicle.
For less severe cases, a therapist or driving instructor might recommend a common breathing exercise or relaxation technique called 4x4 or box breathing. When you feel anxiety creeping through your body, take a deep breath in through your nose for a count of four. Hold the breath for four more seconds before breathing out for another count of four. Hold your breath once more for four seconds, then repeat the cycle. Keep breathing like this until your system calms and you feel comfortable enough to drive.
A doctor might recommend anti-anxiety medication for some people. These medications often work best when combined with some type of therapy.
Compare Insurance Quotes for Reliable Coverage and Peace of Mind
Learning how to overcome a fear of driving takes time, and it usually takes more than revisiting a driving lesson or mastering a driving skill. Conquering a driving fear requires self-reflection and the courage to ask for help. Auto insurance can also help ease your anxiety by providing financial peace of mind. Check out EverQuote to compare insurance quotes from several of the top insurers in your state.