Overcoming fear of driving
Psychologist at Leeds Anxiety Clinic
Published Wednesday, 13 August 2025
Do your hands grip the steering wheel too tightly? Do you avoid motorways or worry about panicking at a roundabout?
If so, you are not alone. Many people have a fear of driving. One in seven say they experience significant anxiety about driving, and nearly half of people say they experience some driving nerves.
In this article, we will provide practical advice on overcoming fear of driving and discuss when you might want to seek professional support from a therapist.
What is driving anxiety?
Driving anxiety, also known as driving phobia, is when someone experiences distress while driving, being a passenger, or even thinking about being in a car.
It can show up as:
Negative or intrusive thoughts such as "I am going to crash", "I am going to run someone over", "I cannot cope", "I will have a panic attack while driving".
Distressing physical sensations such as butterflies in the stomach, rapid breathing, sweating, lightheadedness and shaking.
Avoidant behaviours such as not driving, only driving at certain times or under certain circumstances, or sticking to "safe routes" that you know well.
Situations where driving anxiety occurs
Driving anxiety can occur at any time and may affect someone's ability to drive or be in a car at all. It can affect both new and experienced drivers.
Other people may only experience driving anxiety in certain situations, such as:
- Driving on motorways
- Driving alone
- Driving in busy traffic
- Driving at night
- Driving in bad weather
- Parking and multi-storey car parks
- Driving on bridges and tunnels
These are just a few common examples. Everyone's experiences are different, as are the situations that trigger driving anxiety.
What causes driving anxiety?
There is no one simple cause of driving anxiety. However, there are several factors that may contribute.
If you are anxious in other areas of your life, you may find it extends to driving. High personal standards or perfectionism can also contribute.
If you have been in an accident, you may have unprocessed trauma. Other situations, such as near misses or driving past accidents, can also contribute.
Starting to drive for the first time, or returning after a long break, can also trigger anxiety, especially if confidence is low or expectations are high.
Making sense of driving anxiety
Driving anxiety can have a range of root causes, but typically clusters around either fear or shame.
Fear-based driving anxiety involves the worry that we will get hurt or be killed in a crash. These are worries about our personal safety.
Shame-based driving anxiety involves worries that we do something unacceptable, such as causing an accident, or that we will be judged by others for what they perceive as poor driving skills. For example, we may worry about someone honking their horn at us.
Understanding whether your anxiety is driven more by fear or by shame can help tailor the support you need. This is something a therapist can explore with you in a safe and structured way.
How driving anxiety affects daily life
If you are struggling with driving anxiety, you may find that you avoid driving. This can have a significant impact on your independence, making it more difficult to do everyday things like commute to work, go shopping or visit friends.
There is often an emotional toll, too. You feel like a burden if other people are driving you around, frustrated that you cannot overcome your fear, or ashamed that you find driving overwhelming.
Self-help strategies
The best way to overcome driving anxiety is by slowly building your confidence through real-world practice. Of course, if it were that simple, we would have already done that. But there are some things we can do to make driving more manageable.
We can challenge our negative thoughts. For example, "I might be in a crash, but it is highly unlikely".
We can use gradual exposure. This means starting with short journeys and routes that feel safe, before building up to longer and more difficult journeys.
We can use breathing and grounding techniques to help reduce our anxiety before and during driving.
We can bring along a supportive person, such as a family member or friend, who can help boost our confidence.
When to seek professional help
Self-help strategies can sometimes be effective. But if they are not, or you would like to get results faster, working with a therapist can help.
Working with a therapist provides a safe and compassionate environment for you to make sense of your anxiety and develop practical strategies to tackle it.
Therapy can be especially helpful if:
- Avoidance is significantly impacting your life
- You are experiencing panic attacks while driving
- If your anxiety stems from unprocessed trauma
- You want tailored strategies and faster progress
At Leeds Anxiety Clinic, we are experts in supporting individuals with anxiety and have a great deal of experience helping people overcome their fear of driving.
If you choose to work with us, you will be paired with a compassionate, knowledgeable and experienced therapist to support you on your journey.
Conclusion
Driving anxiety is a common and understandable problem. If you have a fear of driving, you are not alone, but it is something that you can do something about.
You may find that you can overcome your fear of driving using self-help strategies. However, if you would like professional support, we are here to help.