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Driving Anxiety: How to Overcome It

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It’s common to be a bit nervous when you’re driving on unfamiliar roads, in heavy traffic, or during severe weather conditions. But some people experience intense fear every time they get behind the wheel or slide into the passenger seat. Severe driving anxiety like this can be emotionally exhausting and highly disruptive. Thankfully, it can also be treated.

What is Driving Anxiety?

Driving anxiety is a type of specific phobia that is related to traveling in an automobile, either as a driver or passenger. The formal term for this condition is amaxophobia. It is also sometimes referred to as hamaxophobia, motorphobia, and ochophobia. 

Specific phobia is one of 11 conditions in the anxiety disorders section of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). More well-known types of specific phobia include fear of spiders (arachnophobia), heights (acrophobia), and blood (hemophobia).

As established in the DSM-5, specific phobia is characterized by criteria such as:

  • Intense fear or worry about a specific object or situation
  • Fear and worry that is disproportionate to any actual threat posed by the object or situation
  • Always experiencing immediate fear or worry when confronted with the object or situation

It’s important to understand that specific phobia is not a synonym for nervousness. For example, when someone with this level of anxiety encounters circumstances that require them to drive or ride in a car, they may develop panic-like symptoms such as:

  • Racing heart rate and chest pain
  • Excessive perspiration
  • Sense of dizziness or lightheadedness
  • Feeling as though they are being smothered or choked
  • Tingling or numbness in their hands and feet
  • Depersonalization, or the sense that they have become detached from their body and mind
  • Derealization, which can include feeling like the world has been drained of color, or that they are viewing their surroundings through a pane of glass
  • Belief that they are “going crazy” or have lost control of their mind
  • Fear that they are about to die

For people who have severe driving anxiety or other types of specific phobia, the excessive fear and worry that they experience can become so intense that it impairs their ability to function at work, in social situations, or in other important areas of life. In other words, people who say, “driving anxiety is ruining my life” may not be exaggerating.

Causes of Driving Anxiety

A person’s risk of developing driving anxiety can be influenced by a variety of internal and external factors, including:

  • Certain genetic variations
  • Developing an eye disorder called binocular vision dysfunction (BVD)
  • Having another type of anxiety disorder 
  • Having a close family member with specific phobia or another anxiety disorder
  • Inherited traits such as neuroticism and behavioral inhibition
  • Witnessing or being in a severe automobile accident or some other transportation-related traumatic event
  • Substance abuse and addiction

Driving Anxiety Is Ruining My Life: What Can I Do?

If you fear that driving anxiety is ruining your life, you are not alone. 

Though the number of people who have debilitating driving anxiety is relatively low, experiencing some degree of emotional distress due to driving is surprisingly common. A 2023 survey of 1,500 adult drivers in the U.S. found that:

  • About 66% (or two-thirds) of respondents said they have some level of driving anxiety.
  • The prevalence of driving anxiety is higher among women (75%) than among men (55%).
  • About 62% of those surveyed said they had witnessed or been involved in at least one traumatic driving event.

The good news is that there are a variety of self-help strategies that can help you minimize the psychological pain you feel when driving. If these techniques don’t do the trick, certain forms of therapy may help you achieve the relief you’re seeking.

How to Overcome Fear When Driving

Here are a few tips to help you feel less stressed and more confident when you’re behind the wheel or in the passenger seat:

  • Before getting into the car, think about what, specifically, triggers your anxiety. For example, do you notice an uptick in your stress levels when you’re driving at certain times (such as after dark) or at certain locations (such as being on the highway)? If you can pinpoint triggers like these, you may be able to develop strategies for avoiding or at least minimizing your exposure to them.
  • Learn and practice relaxation techniques such as meditation, visualization, breathwork, and positive affirmations. These can help you calm your mind before you start the engine and head out on the road. They can also help you manage stress and remain present during non-driving times as well.
  • Practice self-care in all aspects of your life. Habits such as following a healthy diet plan, exercising regularly, and getting an appropriate amount of sleep every night are good for your body and your mind. These types of activities can also prepare you to do a better job of managing stressful situations, which can reduce the impact of driving anxiety.

Therapies That Can Help You Overcome Driving Anxiety

Professional help for driving anxiety can take many forms, from occasional sessions with a therapist or counselor to more extensive services such as residential treatment, partial hospitalization, or intensive outpatient programming. 

As part of your treatment, you may benefit from therapies such as:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This approach is based in part on the view that emotional distress is rooted in maladaptive core beliefs, automatic negative thoughts, and dysfunctional assumptions. During CBT sessions, you can work on identifying these concerns in your own life, so that you can replace them with healthier ways of thinking about yourself, your environment, and the future.
  • Exposure Therapy: This is a type of CBT that slowly and purposefully brings you into contact with the trigger of your psychological distress (which in this case is driving or riding in a car). You may begin with computer simulations or thought exercises, then progress to sitting in an unmoving car, before actually driving or being driven. At all times, you will be supervised by a trained professional who can offer guidance and support as needed.
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: EMDR is designed to alleviate the emotional pain that people experience when they recall specific traumatic memories. If your struggles with driving anxiety are related to a history of untreated trauma, addressing that trauma with EMDR or another intervention can be a necessary precursor to true and lasting healing.

You may also benefit from having certain prescription medications incorporated into your treatment. Ideally, your treatment provider will work with you to identify the most beneficial forms of therapy for you and determine if medication can help.

Contact Conscious Health to Schedule an Appointment Today

Conscious Health offers innovative outpatient care for adults who have been living with anxiety disorders and other mental health concerns. 

At our mental health treatment center in Los Angeles, you will work in active collaboration with a small team of experienced professionals. We will take the time to get to know you as a unique individual, so that we can be sure we’re providing the focused services that align with your needs, goals, and preferences. Working together, we can help you find your path to improved mental health and a more satisfying future.

To learn more or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Contact page or call us today. 

Published: 12/11/2024

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