To get over the fear of driving, use a combination of gradual exposure (<<< !nav>>exposure therapy), relaxation techniques (<<< !nav>>deep breathing, mindfulness), and professional help like CBT if needed, starting with short drives in familiar, quiet areas and slowly increasing complexity while practicing self-compassion and positive self-talk. Identify specific fears, plan your routes, avoid triggers like caffeine, and have a calm co-pilot when possible to build confidence step-by-step.
Set an intention for every drive 2. Learn to breathe more slowly and consciously 3. Prepare yourself for success like a performance 4. With self-awareness, you are in control of your emotions 5. If you feel panicky in the car, pull over when it's safe to do so, but try to stay in the car 6.
Those who are learning to drive or don't believe they have adequate driving skills may be prone to driving anxiety. Additionally, anxious drivers may overcompensate on the road, which can lead to mistakes at the wheel. Scary or negative driving experiences can also trigger anxiety in drivers.
Tips to help with Driving Anxiety
The best therapy for fear of driving is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Whether your fear of driving stems from a phobia, PTSD, or panic disorder, CBT is proven to help each of these conditions. CBT for these conditions almost always includes exposure therapy.
Whether you're managing a fear of driving on highways, experiencing a panic attack while driving, or just feeling tense behind the wheel, the good news is this: you can learn how to get over driving anxiety. With the right strategies, it's possible to regain control, reduce fear, and drive with more confidence.
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.
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.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as sertraline (Zoloft) or paroxetine (Paxil), are commonly prescribed to reduce anxiety symptoms associated with driving phobia.
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.
Driving phobia itself isn't classified as a distinct mental illness. But it often falls under the category of a specific phobia. A specific phobia is an intense and irrational fear of something. Mental health professionals recognize specific phobias as mental 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.
How to be a more confident driver
Steps to help you overcome your fears
The most challenging driving skills to learn consistently include parallel parking, complex maneuvers like reverse parking and three-point turns, and higher-order skills such as hazard perception, judging gaps in traffic, and clutch control (for manual cars). Professional instructors often highlight right turns at intersections and navigating pedestrians/cyclists as particularly tricky, while many drivers struggle with spatial awareness and predicting other road users' behavior, notes this Quora thread.
The 12 second rule helps you understand how far ahead you need to scan for hazards. To tell how far 12 seconds is: pull over on a straight piece of road. start counting to 12 as a car passes you, and. take a note of how far away the car is once you get to 12.
The most common driving test fails center around poor observation (not checking mirrors/blind spots), speeding/speed control, failing to obey signs/lights (rolling through stops, ignoring signals), incorrect road positioning, and errors during maneuvers like parallel parking. Nerves, stalling, and not giving way to hazards or other traffic are also major reasons for failing.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective way to treat driving anxiety. It helps individuals understand their fears and develop strategies to cope with them. CBT can help people gain confidence in their ability to drive safely and reduce the fear of getting into a car.
The 30-Second Reset: A Pause That Changes Everything
A short pause—just 30 seconds—gives our nervous system time to calm down and gives us space to choose how we want to show up in the moment. That might mean taking a slow, conscious breath. Relax your shoulders.
Symptoms of driving anxiety can include:
Teas for stress and anxiety relief
The rule is simple: Commit to doing the task for just five minutes. That's it. Once you get over the initial resistance and begin, even if only briefly, something shifts. Momentum builds, anxiety decreases, and your brain transitions from avoidance to engagement.
Here's what we know — and don't know — about some herbal supplements: