Driving anxiety, known as amaxophobia, is a feeling of nervousness while you’re behind the wheel. These emotions can be so overwhelming they can lead to the fear of being in any vehicle — as a passenger or a driver. Fortunately, you can prevent it from impacting your life by utilizing therapies, medications and emotional tools.
Learn About Driving Anxiety & How to Manage It
Updated: May 20, 2024
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On the Road: Driving Anxiety Facts
Whether you’re reeling from a previous accident or are a young driver, driving anxiety is more prevalent than you think.
Driving anxiety often originates from crash-related factors, panic attacks or criticism.
Developing driving anxiety occurs in 11.4% of motor vehicle crash victims.
Unlicensed and learner drivers are more likely to have driving anxiety.
Driving anxiety has been found to impact mobility and perceived quality of work and life negatively.
What Is Driving Anxiety?
Driving anxiety can be described as feelings of nervousness or anxiety when you are driving. These feelings can also manifest, even if you’re about to drive or just thinking about driving. More severe cases occur even when you’re just a passenger.
There are many ways in which driving anxiety manifests itself. For instance, some people may feel their heart racing or have difficulty breathing, while others may experience muscle tension or restlessness.
Why Do People Have Driving Anxiety?
Driving anxiety can be rooted in many factors, meaning no two people will have the same cause. Understanding the root cause can help you determine the course of action to address your driving anxiety.
You experienced or witnessed a car crash or accident
Road accidents can be traumatizing, which can lead to driving anxiety. This can also lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or acute stress disorder.
You lost a loved one to a car accident
Losing a loved one to a car accident can easily make you nervous about being behind the wheel yourself. You may worry about hurting someone else or being hurt by another driver.
You have an existing anxiety disorder
An existing anxiety disorder can seep into other parts of your life, including driving. How this manifests and its severity will also depend on your existing anxiety disorder.
You are afraid of losing control of the vehicle
Handling a large vehicle can be daunting, especially if you don’t have much experience. This can cause anxiety while you’re on the road or before getting in the vehicle.
You are triggered by highway driving or bridges and tunnels
Driving on a fast highway can lead to a lot of pressure, while bridges and tunnels can lead to feelings of suffocation or claustrophobia. While these may seem like reasonable concerns, these can eventually turn into driving anxiety in the long run.
Driving Anxiety Signs & Symptoms
Drivers with anxiety can experience different symptoms, often depending on the extent of their fear behind the wheel. For instance, sweaty palms and a racing heart may be considered a mild reaction. In contrast, more severe reactions can involve a full-on anxiety attack, which can involve tingling or dizziness, feelings of fainting or trouble breathing.
1
Sweating more than usual
Be it your palms or through your whole body, excessive sweat is a symptom of anxiety.
2
Racing heart
A racing heartbeat is a common symptom of anxiety. This can also lead to you feeling restless or on edge.
3
Difficulties breathing
Anxiety can also manifest by making it difficult to breathe. You may feel your chest tighten up as well.
4
Dizziness
A nauseous, dizzy feeling is another symptom of anxiety. You may also feel lightheaded or feel faint.
5
Shakiness
If you are trembling before holding the wheel or while in the car, you may have driving anxiety.
6
Easily tired
Feeling exhausted after even a short drive can mean you spent a lot of mental effort, more than usual, to stay calm. This can be a sign of driving anxiety.
7
Tense
Being tense while driving can mean you’re anxious about being on the road.
8
Irritable and short
While conversation can be distracting, being irritable with others in the car can signal driving anxiety.
SHOULD YOU DRIVE WHILE EXPERIENCING DRIVER ANXIETY?
Generally, driving with anxiety is not illegal but should still be done with caution. After all, anxious emotions can control or distract any driver, preventing them from driving safely and/or with complete focus.
However, if you are taking medications for an existing anxiety disorder, you may not be able to drive. After all, certain medications can affect how you behave while driving as they can make you dizzy, tired or nauseous — all of which can further feed into driving anxiety. If you take anxiety medication, consult a professional to see if driving is advisable.
The Unfavorable Effects of Feeling Anxious Behind the Wheel
Drivers with anxiety are more at risk on the road, as their emotions can prevent them from reacting correctly or driving safely. Driving anxiety can lead to fear of vehicles — even boats, aircraft or other public transportation. Understanding the long-term effects of driving anxiety can help you recognize that it’s time to take steps to improve it.
1
Increase the risk of accidents
The symptoms of anxiety can prevent you from properly focusing on driving safely. This increases the likelihood of accidents, which could put others on the road at risk.
2
Induce a panic attack
Left unmanaged, anxiety symptoms can culminate in anxiety or panic attacks. These are episodes of intense panic or fear caused by a trigger. If this happens while you’re on the road, you could cause an accident as you cannot properly manage your driving behavior.
3
Develop a phobia
Driving anxiety can also lead to other phobias, such as being afraid of simply being in a vehicle, car, bus or plane as a passenger. This can interfere with your personal and work life.
How to Cope With Driving Anxiety
There are many ways drivers with anxiety can cope or overcome their symptoms and fears. Generally, getting professional help is the most advisable, but several other self-help tools may help depending on your situation.
Getting Professional Help
Mental health professionals have the training and expertise to help you overcome your anxiety. They can offer you support through a therapy program or medication, but remember that solutions can vary for everyone. While getting professional help is the most advisable solution for drivers with anxiety, it may still take trial and error to find a treatment that works best for you.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
HOW IT CAN HELP YOU
Cognitive behavioral therapy involves changing thought patterns. According to its principles, psychological problems are caused by unhelpful thinking. Some strategies involved in this therapy include facing your fears, using role-playing or calming your mind and body through a strong therapeutic relationship with your therapist.
Exposure Therapy
HOW IT CAN HELP YOU
Exposure therapy is mainly meant to help confront an individual’s fear, such as driving. There are several exposure therapies, such as in vivo and imaginal, and several paces, such as flooding or graded exposure. In vivo exposure, for instance, involves directly facing a feared object, while imaginal only requires that you vividly imagine it. Using a combination of different types and paces, you can reduce your fear of driving and even weaken previously-learned associations with it.
Medications
HOW IT CAN HELP YOU
There are several types of medications that can help relieve symptoms of driving anxiety. However, talking to your therapist about what works for you while driving is essential.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
HOW IT CAN HELP YOU
The goal of acceptance and commitment therapy is to increase psychological flexibility. This is achieved by combining acceptance and mindfulness strategies with commitment and behavior change. Using metaphors, paradoxes and experiential exercises, you can make healthy contact with feared and avoided feelings or thoughts, such as driving.
Self-Help Tools to Help You Ease Your Anxiety
Alongside consulting mental health professionals, you can make further progress with your driving anxiety using a few self-help strategies. This way, you can take control of your life and address your driving anxiety sooner.
1
Practice relaxation techniques
Using breathing and relaxation techniques can help you prevent anxiety attacks and manage anxiety symptoms, such as a racing heart.
2
Create a support system
Reliable support can help reassure you about your safety. Talk to friends and family, ask them to accompany you while driving or practice driving in a safe place with them.
3
Get comprehensive car insurance
Getting car insurance can help alleviate any financial worries. In particular, full coverage insurance is ideal as it can address damages and injuries for both yourself and other parties. Fortunately, it’s possible to get cheap full coverage car insurance and affordable car insurance simply by comparing quotes.
4
Look after your physical health
Regular exercise and healthy eating can greatly reduce your anxiety. Studies have found that exercise helps reduce anxiety by diverting you from your anxious symptoms, such as decreasing muscle tension and even changing your brain chemistry.
5
Try alternative and complementary therapies
Therapies like yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, massages and more are a great way to feel more relaxed, which can help reduce anxiety symptoms. Regularly practicing these can help control anxiety symptoms.
How You Can Help an Anxious Driver
If your friend or loved one is a driver with anxiety, it’s essential to support them as they overcome it. Whether a teen, a new driver or a senior, enough guidance and understanding can go a long way in reducing their anxiety.
1
Offer your help
Help a driver with anxiety by providing assistance however they need it. Offer them help in the car, with tips or practicing driving somewhere can reassure them that they aren’t alone.
2
Be patient
Patience is a must when helping a driver with anxiety. They will have many doubts and concerns; if you want to help, reassure them and provide them with actionable tips.
3
Avoid pressuring and criticizing them
It can be easy to pressure a driver with anxiety — but this is where extra patience comes in. If their driving needs improvement, give constructive feedback when they are no longer behind the wheel or if the car has stopped.
Can I Get Compensation if I Develop Driving Anxiety After a Car Accident?
Emotional damages can be considered as an injury, which means it is possible to get compensation if you develop driving anxiety after a car accident. However, filing for this can be tricky if you do not follow proper procedures. Generally, you will be asked to provide documents proving that you have been diagnosed with anxiety or have undergone mental duress, which means needing to see a professional.
How to Claim Your Compensation
If you experience anxiety driving after an accident and want compensation, it’s essential to do so by following the right steps. While this can vary from insurer to insurer, there are a few steps you can start with that are universal.
1
See a mental health professional
Seeing a mental health professional can help you determine the severity of your anxiety. They can also help you determine the steps to move forward.
2
Get a diagnosis
Insurers will want a professional opinion on the severity of your anxiety to determine compensation. Therefore, it’s essential to see a mental health professional to get help for yourself and get a diagnosis for your compensation.
3
Prepare medical records
If you suffered injuries from a car accident related to your driving anxiety, it’s also important to prepare these records.
4
Calculate the cost of the accident and aftermath
If you suffer financially from the accident, you can also calculate the cost of your losses. Prepare a statement and any related documents on claims related to the accident.
DOES YOUR CAR INSURANCE PREMIUM INCREASE WITH ANXIETY?
It depends. Your insurance premiums may increase if you get into an accident due to your driver’s anxiety and are found liable. However, this still depends on your insurer. It’s best to ask your agent if you aren’t sure. If your premiums increase, there are a few ways you can still reduce your car insurance costs.
Expert Insight on Driving Anxiety
If you’re trying to tackle your driving anxiety, MoneyGeek has gathered a few expert opinions.
- What are your recommendations for drivers with driving anxiety?
- What tools or programs do you recommend for drivers with anxiety to move past it?
Andrea RosenhaftFounder of BWellBStrong
Indigo Stray Conger, LMFT, AASECT CST
Stephanie GilbertOwner of Stephanie Gilbert and Associates, LLC
Dr. Camille HumesLicensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Boone ChristiansonLicensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Jason PhillipsLicensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Life Coach, Peace & Prosperity
Resources for Anxious Drivers
Driving with anxiety can be challenging, but many resources are available to help. MoneyGeek gathered a few you can start with.
- Anxiety & Depression Association of America: This organization is dedicated to preventing, treating and curing anxiety disorders and depression.
- Find help with anxiety & depression: Learn more about resources and services through the ADAA for anxiety and depression.
- Medlineplus: Learn more about anxiety, its types and more in this comprehensive guide from Medlineplus.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: NAMI is one of the nation's largest mental health organizations dedicated to helping millions with anxiety and other mental illnesses.
About Nathan Paulus
Nathan Paulus is the Head of Content Marketing at MoneyGeek, with nearly 10 years of experience researching and creating content related to personal finance and financial literacy.
Paulus has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of St. Thomas, Houston. He enjoys helping people from all walks of life build stronger financial foundations.
sources
- A.N. Stephens, B. Collette, A. Hidalgo-Munoz, A. Fort, M. Evennou, C. Jallais. "Cognitive and body manifestations of driving anxiety according to different onsets." Accessed November 7, 2022.
- A.N. Stephens, B. Collette, A. Hidalgo-Munoz, A. Fort, M. Evennou, C. Jallais. "The impacts of anxiety over driving on self-reported driving avoidance, work performance and quality of life." Accessed November 7, 2022.
- A.N. Stephens, B. Collette, A. Hidalgo-Munoz, A. Fort, M. Evennou, C. Jallais. "The quiet passenger: Cognitions, avoidance, and onset among people with driving anxiety." Accessed November 7, 2022.
- American Psychological Association. "What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?." Accessed November 6, 2022.
- American Psychological Association. "What Is Exposure Therapy?." Accessed November 6, 2022.
- Harvard Health Publishing. "Can Exercise Help Treat Anxiety?." Accessed November 7, 2022.