From driving to work and chauffeuring kids around town to running errands and visiting family near and far, most of us spend a lot of time in our cars and don’t give it much thought. But that doesn’t mean getting behind the wheel can’t make us nervous at times. In fact, a recent survey found that around 66% of Americans experience some form ofdriving anxiety during their lifetime.
According to Daniel Hoffman, PhD, a board-certified cognitive and behavioral psychologist at Northwell Health, this isn’t surprising given that most of us have been involved in or witnessed a traffic accident at some point. But for a number of people, driving—whether in general or during certain situations (like crossing a bridge, going through a tunnel, driving on a highway or in the rain, driving at night, etc.)—brings out feelings of such intense fear and anxiety that they’ll do anything to avoid it.
Fortunately, there are ways to get past adriving phobia. Here, Hoffman shares the five that can help you travel easier.
Assess your driving skills
Hoffman notes that while a driving phobia can be caused by fear, a skills deficit may be at play. After all, if you don’t feel confident in your abilities behind the wheel, it will lead to anxiety when you’re driving. “Most of us are at least semi-competent drivers,” he explains. “But for some people, there really are skills that they need to build up.”
Retaking a driver’s education course can help strengthen your defensive driving skills and boost your confidence when you’re on the road.Practicing difficult situations repeatedly is important—repetition is key to skill building. Practice in familiar spots (such as making a left at a traffic light) first, and then move on to more difficult and less familiar areas as you get more confident.
Break it down into small steps
One way to make a large fear smaller is by breaking the task down into steps. “First, get out of your house and simply look at your car,” says Hoffman. “Start with the outside before moving into the interior. This can put your mind at ease that everything—the tires, headlights, brake lights, etc.—are in working order.”
You might even want to read your owner’s manual so you’re familiar with the ins and outs of your vehicle before you even turn the ignition key. “Once you get into the car, you can just sit in it for a bit and get used to being behind the wheel,” says Hoffman. “Look at all the controls so you know where everything is located.”Just don’t try to memorize the manual or convince yourself that this knowledge will keep you perfectly safe—that’s unrealistic.
For a specific phobia, such as driving over a bridge, Hoffman says you might want to begin by looking at photos of different bridges. Then move on towatching videos of cars using them. Eventually, you can progress to walking across a bridge, being a passenger in a car, and eventually driving across a bridge.
Take it slow
A big part of a driving phobia is worrying about others on the road. With that in mind, it might be a good idea to practice driving when there’s less people out and about. “Go on an early Sunday morning to an empty parking lot and just drive around,” says Hoffman. “Then transition to local roads that aren’t busy before building up to more congested roads and the highway.”
Be careful with social media
Dashboard cams have made it easy for people to share footage of traffic accidents on social media. While they usually involve people driving erratically or performing unsafe maneuvers you’d never do (like making a left from right hand lane or slamming on their brakes on the highway), watching those can still exacerbate a driving phobia. “It will heighten your own anxiety, and it doesn't actually teach you how to drive safely or what to watch out for,” says Hoffman.
See a professional
If your phobia is interfering with your everyday life, you should seek out help from a mental health professional who specializes incognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). A CBT therapist can work with you to get to the root of your fears and then face them throughexposure therapy.
For those not ready to get behind the wheel, one option isvirtual reality exposure therapy, where patients can go through driving simulations featuring everything from city and highway travel to driving in bad weather. Hoffman has even ridden in cars driven by patients to help them cope with their anxiety while on the road. Patients may continue driving with a therapist or trusted family member, and graduate to driving on their own. That’s the ultimate goal of CBT—to empower patients to reclaim their independence and walk (or drive!) their own path.
