How To Overcome Driving Anxiety

There are several people out there who have a fear of driving, whether it's due to inexperience and the fact that they haven't driven for a long time, the fact that they don't venture out very far and don't have experience on a variety of different roads, or the fact that certain driving scenarios, such as navigating roundabouts, cause tension and anxiety.

Whatever the reason may be, driving anxiety can be isolating and frustrating as it steals a lot of your independence, because you’re not able to travel around as easily.

So, to help you lessen your tension and anxiety when driving, and to make driving a little more fun, we've compiled a list of our top tips to help get you through it. 

Get prepared

Plan your route before you leave, use an app such as Google Maps or Waze to estimate your arrival time, and see if there is any heavy traffic or road works so you can prepare for these situations before you get to them.

Using Google maps is also a good idea so you can visualise where you’ll be driving, familiarise yourself with the layout of the roads and how to get to your destination. 

Make your car feel like a safe and relaxing place

Think about the things that might calm you down and put you at ease during your journey. For example, you could put reassuring music on such as classical music to keep you relaxed, use gum or sweets to help distract you a little and help your jaw unclench, keep some cold water close by to keep you hydrated and alert or even place some lavender air fresheners or other calming scents around you.

Start small

Exposure to anxiety-inducing driving situations can either be done all at once, or in little steps, but for a more manageable way of coping, always start small.

Start with routes around where you live, so you’re familiar with your surroundings, then gradually drive further afield, for example to get your weekly shop, to buy lunch etc. Each time you go out and come back safely, it’ll anchorage you to drive even further the next time.

Remember to take breaks so you can regroup if you’re driving long distances. 

Give yourself reminders

Regardless of how overpowering and terrible your driving anxiety feels, and regardless of how much it tells you not to get behind the wheel, you must convince yourself that you will be safe, in control, and will arrive at your destination safely.

Cars are built to keep you safe, and many modern vehicles are now equipped with a variety of safety measures to put drivers' minds at ease.

Consider an advanced driver course

To help you gain more experience on the road and improve how comfortable you feel with driving, you could consider taking extra lessons.

You’ll be placed with a specialist instructor who can help whether you have fear of motorway driving, busy roundabouts or driving alone to help you treat and overcome your driving anxiety.

Ready to take a drive? Explore our range of used cars in Wakefield today.