Taking Driving Anxiety by the Wheel

“Taking Driving Anxiety By The Wheel”

The first time my father took me out to drive during the spring of 2019, I remember that I had barely backed out of the garage when tears started blurring my vision. The moment I turned onto the main road, I was sobbing so hard my body shook. Luckily, I pulled over safely, so that my father could switch places with me.

What went wrong? I had already taken my driving lessons, and while I felt nervous, I never reacted this badly. My panic made me give up driving for almost a year.

January 2020, I took more lessons at a traffic school. My instructor was incredibly kind and helped me work through my driving anxiety. Soon after, I was going on hour-long driving sessions with my father on the weekends, and I felt… calm. In October 2020, I received my license.

What I’ve learned from my own experiences with driving is that learning to drive is equally exciting and terrifying, and we don’t talk enough about the latter. Many of my younger friends have also experienced this intense fear of getting behind the wheel, and some licensed drivers I know still experience it. A poll on CarRentals.com found that out of 1,500 Americans surveyed, 44% have at least one driving-related phobia, whether that’s driving in inclement weather, at night, etcetera.

Driving anxiety is clearly common, so it deserves a place in the discussion about why driver’s education is so important. Anxious driving is distracted driving; I can attest to how hard it is to focus on the road when your brain is trying to process an overwhelming amount of anxiety. However, that anxiety often stems from a larger problem: a lack of confidence in one’s own driving abilities. So much of driving is being able to make quick and safe decisions, especially when a tricky situation comes up, but without confidence, people are unable to trust themselves to make those decisions. Moments of doubt can be the line between life or death. Driver’s education is integral in reducing driving related-deaths because it provides a space where drivers can build confidence in their abilities and feel better prepared on the road.

A further step to be taken in reducing driving-related deaths is to destigmatize driving anxiety. Driver’s education and even resources like counseling tailored for driving anxiety can help a lot, but there might be feelings of embarrassment. While everyone has to take a minimum of six hours of lessons with a driving instructor, anxious drivers may need to invest even more time. Many people around me only did the minimum before getting their licenses, so I hesitated to take more lessons even though I needed it since I simply wasn’t ready. I felt ashamed and didn’t want people to think I was incompetent. If there were more encouragement to reach out for help, then many other anxious people may also be more willing to utilize these resources, creating more confident and safer drivers.

For me, being a safer driver means finding a balance between confidence and caution. Being careful and aware that a dangerous situation is always possible on the road is important. However, letting the possibility of danger control you to the point where this fear affects your mental state can be life-threatening. This might cause you to not be in the right headspace if a reckless driver appears, or may even cause you to be the reckless driver. That’s why whenever I have to drive now, in addition to staying focused and alert, I also remind myself that I’m perfectly capable of being behind the wheel. Although driving anxiety can be debilitating, utilizing resources such as driver’s education can allow one to gain the confidence to take that anxiety by the wheel and get back in control. Being in control of yourself then leads to being more in control of the car, making one a safer and better driver.

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