Yes, driving nerves often go away with experience and confidence, but for severe cases (driving phobia), they might need active treatment like exposure therapy or CBT to resolve, as avoidance makes it worse. Mild anxiety lessens as familiar routes become routine, while intense fear (phobia) requires gradual, repeated exposure and sometimes professional help to rewire the brain's fear response.
Use gradual exposure to rebuild confidence.
It can have a major, hidden impact on your mental health with feelings of being a failure or feeling stupid for not being able to do something others can. It can even lead to strained relationships with pressure from your partner or friends to pass and do your fair share of the driving.
"It's not actually the driving, it's the fear of the unknown, of not knowing automatically what to do when." If you are struggling, she recommends having motorway lessons and easing yourself in slowly, for example by using a short junction, travelling at a quieter time of day or practising on a small roundabout.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
ERP is the gold-standard treatment for OCD. With the help of a trained therapist, clients are gradually exposed to feared situations (like driving the same route) while resisting compulsions (like circling back or checking).
The 15-Minute Rule for OCD is a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) technique where you delay performing a compulsion for 15 minutes when an obsessive thought triggers anxiety, allowing the urge to lessen naturally as you practice exposure and response prevention (ERP). It teaches your brain that discomfort decreases without the ritual, building resilience and breaking the obsessive-compulsive cycle by gradually increasing tolerance for uncertainty and distressing feelings.
There isn't always an obvious cause or explanation for why you might develop a driving phobia. However, there are some experiences that often contribute to this phobia, including: Being in a car accident. Witnessing a car accident or someone you're close to being in a car accident.
Can driving anxiety go away on its own? While some people find their anxiety lessens over time, many benefit from intentional strategies like relaxation techniques, exposure therapy, or professional support. Taking proactive steps can help you build confidence faster.
Recovering from a car accident can be tough, especially when emotional scars remain. Driving PTSD symptoms are a serious concern that may arise after a traumatic crash, causing intrusive thoughts, avoidance, mood changes, and heightened anxiety.
Recent surveys show that 66% of Americans experience anxiety while driving. Many become nervous only when conducting specific maneuvers, like merging onto the highway or making unprotected left turns. However, some people suffer from driver anxiety as soon as they get behind the wheel.
Most new drivers begin feeling confident after around six months of consistent solo practice. Start with daytime and familiar roads before progressing to highways or nighttime driving. A defensive driving course builds skills and confidence quickly.
Drive Focus App. Drive Focus is for novice and experienced drivers who want to have better reactions, reduce driving anxiety, and feel more confident.
What Causes Driving Anxiety? You might experience driving anxiety if you've recently been in an accident or if you worry about getting into a fatal accident. Some people have anxiety while driving due to generally being a nervous person.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as sertraline (Zoloft) or paroxetine (Paxil), are commonly prescribed to reduce anxiety symptoms associated with driving phobia.
Amaxophobia (Fear of Driving) Amaxophobia (also called hamaxophobia) makes you feel anxious or fearful when you drive or ride in a vehicle, such as a car, bus or plane. With it, you have a fear of driving and may also get anxious being a passenger. This fear can interfere with work, socializing and travel.
The #1 worst habit for anxiety isn't singular, but avoidance (procrastination), poor sleep, and negative thought patterns (like catastrophizing) are top contenders, creating vicious cycles where anxiety fuels these behaviors, and the behaviors, in turn, worsen anxiety by preventing healthy coping and creating more stress. Other significant habits include excessive caffeine, poor diet, too much screen time, and social withdrawal, all disrupting the body's ability to manage stress effectively.
Here's what we know — and don't know — about some herbal supplements:
Teas for stress and anxiety relief
One report suggests it takes up to 27 seconds for the mental distraction controlling your phone via a voice command causes. Yet that is only the distraction from the action of saying, “Read message,” “Call Susan,” or whatever you command your phone to do.
Anxiety doesn't follow a strict timeline. Some people experience occasional bouts of anxiety, which rapidly dissipate once a stressor is resolved. Others find anxiety lingers until they develop chronic anxiety disorders that require long-term management.
Strategies to overcome fear
Some people leave it too long between bouts of driving and may just need a little push. And some are simply more prone to anxiety than others. Other reasons can include stress, moving to an unfamiliar area, or failing a driving test– perhaps more than once.
There are tons of different disabilities that might impact someone's ability to drive, whether it's low vision, blindness, epilepsy, traumatic brain injuries, intellectual disabilities, mobility disabilities, chronic health conditions.
Some anxious drivers prefer an SUV for its higher driving position and a bigger presence on the road. The 2026 Kia Niro Hybrid and 2026 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid are compact SUVs that help you venture throughout your day in confidence.