Fear of driving
Feeling scared on the road is more common than you think, and confidence can be rebuilt one short drive at a time.
By the numbers
How common driving fear is, and how well it can be treated.
Phobias in general
Driving fear
After a crash
What is fear of driving?
Fear of driving or riding in a vehicle, in many different forms.
Fear of driving (sometimes called amaxophobia) is strong fear or anxiety about driving or riding in a vehicle. It can make it hard to get to work, see friends or run errands.
Many people with this fear have never been in a crash. Research shows driving fear that didn’t follow a crash can be just as strong as fear after one.
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Situations people often fear
- Bad weather or driving at night
- Bridges, tunnels and overpasses
- Changing lanes or merging
- Heavy traffic or being boxed in
- Highways and high speeds
- Unfamiliar routes
Researchers have found two main worries behind driving fear: fear of something dangerous happening (like a crash), and fear of the anxiety itself and of unpleasant driving situations.
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Driving fear looks different for different people. Some can drive but not be a passenger. Some can only ride with one trusted person, like a partner.
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In a UK study of road crash survivors, fear of travel as a driver or passenger was more common, and more often disabling, than other stress reactions.
The section “After a crash” below has more on this.
How can it feel?
In your body, your thoughts and your plans.
In your body
- A racing or pounding heart
- Dizziness or feeling lightheaded
- Feeling sick or an upset stomach
- Shaking or trembling
- Short of breath
- Sweating or chills
In your thoughts
- “I’ll lose control of the car.”
- “What if I panic on the highway and can’t pull over?”
- “That truck is going to hit me.”
- “Everyone can see how nervous I am.”
The fear can start long before the drive. Just thinking about a trip, seeing a car crash on TV or hearing traffic can bring it on.
Why does it develop?
Crashes, other scary moments, learning from others, and anxiety.
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Past trauma, like a crash, being stranded in a broken-down vehicle, or someone close being badly hurt or killed in a crash, can lead to driving fear. This can overlap with PTSD.
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Fear can be learned by watching other people be afraid, or by hearing them talk about their fear.
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Having other phobias, anxiety or panic disorder raises the chance of driving fear. Agoraphobia and claustrophobia are closely linked, because a car can feel like a place that’s hard to escape.
If your fear is mostly about panicking in places you can’t leave, the “Agoraphobia: fear of places and situations” guide may also help.
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Having relatives with phobias or anxiety, and possibly some inherited sensitivity to anxiety, can raise the risk.
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Researchers say driving skill is an often-overlooked part of driving fear. For some people, a few refresher lessons are part of the answer.
After a crash
What’s normal, what isn’t, and getting back in the car.
After a crash, it is normal to feel shaky, jumpy or nervous in cars for a while. In one study, almost one in five survivors had a strong stress reaction soon after, and about one in ten developed PTSD over the next year.
Common reactions in the first weeks
- Bracing or flinching at brake lights or horns
- Feeling on edge as a passenger
- Going over the crash again and again
- Not wanting to drive the same road
- Trouble sleeping
Avoiding all driving can make the fear grow. When you are physically ready and safe to drive, short, easy drives can help your confidence come back.
How it shows up in daily life
Avoiding routes, relying on others, and quiet workarounds.
Driving fear can interfere with work, social life and travel. In severe cases, getting to work or the shops becomes a struggle.
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Avoiding gives quick relief, but the brain learns “I was only safe because I didn’t go.” That keeps the fear going.
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Some people only ride with a trusted person, or only use one fixed transit route.
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Exposure works best when you gradually drop safety moves, so your brain learns that driving itself is manageable.
Common safety moves
- Driving only on familiar roads
- Driving well below the speed of traffic
- Keeping a hand on the door handle as a passenger
- Only driving with someone in the car
- Turning off all music and talk
Myths vs facts
Clearing up common misunderstandings.
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Research shows crashes don’t explain all driving fear. Fear without a crash can be just as strong.
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Graded exposure starts with mild steps and slowly builds up. A therapist can help you plan each step.
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Many anxious drivers are careful and capable. If skills are part of the worry, refresher lessons can help alongside work on the fear.
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Exposure therapy is the main treatment, and many people overcome driving fear with support.
Back on the road step by step
How gradual exposure works, with an example driving ladder.
Exposure for driving fear usually starts small: looking at pictures or videos of driving, then sitting in a parked car, then short drives. Breathing and relaxation skills are often learned first.
Building your driving ladder
- Write down driving situations you avoid, from easiest to hardest.
- Rate each one from 0 (no fear) to 10 (the most fear).
- Start with a step around 3 or 4 out of 10.
- Before each step, write down what you expect to happen.
- Stay with the step until you notice what really happens.
- Repeat it a few times, on different days and at different times.
- Move up one rung when it feels more manageable.
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- Sit in the driver’s seat of a parked car for 10 minutes
- Start the engine and practise in an empty parking lot
- Drive around the block on a quiet street
- Drive a short familiar route with a calm passenger
- Drive the same route alone
- Drive on a busier road at a quiet time
- Drive one exit on the highway
- Drive at night or in light rain
Read more
- Choose good weather and daylight for early steps
- Don’t practise when very tired
- Make sure your licence, insurance and car are in order
- Plan your route and a safe place to stop
If your skills feel rusty, a refresher lesson with a driving instructor can be a good early rung.
Read more
A review of 14 studies found virtual reality treatment for driving fear may be practical and acceptable, but more high-quality research is needed.
What helps in the moment
Calming skills you can use safely while driving.
While driving
- Name it: “This is anxiety. It feels awful, but I can drive through it.”
- Breathe out slowly, a little longer than you breathe in.
- Loosen your grip and drop your shoulders.
- Feel your back against the seat and your feet on the pedals.
- Describe what you see out loud: “Blue car ahead, green light.”
- If you need to, pull over when it’s safe, calm down, then carry on.
Pulling over to calm down is fine. Try to drive on afterwards, even a short way, so the trip ends with you in charge rather than the fear.
Supporting a nervous driver
For partners, parents of new drivers, and friends.
Ways to help
- Stay calm in the passenger seat. Avoid gasping, grabbing or shouting.
- Agree on the plan before you set off, and let them choose the step.
- Praise effort: “You handled that merge well.”
- Don’t take over the wheel unless it’s truly unsafe.
- Slowly do less of the driving for them, with their agreement.
- Encourage professional help if fear isn’t easing.
Read more
Practise in quiet places first and build up slowly. Keep your own voice calm, even when you’re nervous too.
If a teen is avoiding driving altogether because of fear, the same ladder approach in this guide can help.
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In a survey of adults aged 55–72, most had no driving fear, but a small group had moderate to severe fear, and some said it had affected their usual activities.
Fear and real safety concerns are different. If you’re worried about an older person’s driving safety, talk with their clinical provider.
When and where to get help
Treatments that help driving fear, and where to find them.
Reach out to a clinical provider or therapist if…
- Fear is affecting work, family or friendships
- Worry is disrupting your sleep or daily life
- You have panic attacks about driving
- You’re still struggling weeks after a crash
Read more
A therapist helps you face driving step by step. Exposure therapy helps more than 90% of people with a specific phobia who complete it.
Read more
Cognitive behavioural therapy is often combined with exposure to change how you think about and respond to driving.
Read more
If your fear is part of a trauma reaction, a therapist trained in trauma care can help. The “PTSD” guide describes these therapies.
Talk with your clinical provider about all your treatment options. To find mental health services in the U.S., you can use FindTreatment.gov.
📝 Worksheets for this guide
Fill these in privately in the app. Your answers stay on your phone.
Sources
- Cleveland Clinic. Amaxophobia (Fear of Driving)
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Specific Phobia (statistics)
- Cleveland Clinic. Exposure Therapy
- Clinical Psychology Review (peer-reviewed) (2002). Driving-related fear: a review (Taylor, Deane & Podd, Clinical Psychology Review 22(5): 631–645)
- Age and Ageing (peer-reviewed) (2011). Driving anxiety and fear in young older adults in New Zealand (Taylor, Alpass, Stephens & Towers, Age and Ageing 40(1): 62–66)
- BMJ (peer-reviewed), via PubMed Central (NIH) (1993). Psychiatric consequences of road traffic accidents (Mayou, Bryant & Duthie, BMJ 307: 647–651)
- Disability and Rehabilitation (peer-reviewed) (2023). Psychological therapy using virtual reality for treatment of driving phobia: a systematic review (Elphinston et al., Disability and Rehabilitation 45(10): 1582–1594)
- Journal of Clinical Psychology (peer-reviewed) (2018). Driving Aggression and Anxiety: Intersections, Assessment, and Interventions (Zinzow & Jeffirs, Journal of Clinical Psychology 74(1): 43–82)
- Craske, Treanor, Conway, Zbozinek & Vervliet (peer-reviewed) (2014). Maximizing exposure therapy: An inhibitory learning approach (Behaviour Research and Therapy)
- Lebowitz, Panza & Bloch, Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics (peer-reviewed) (2016). Family accommodation in obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders: a five-year update
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Find Treatment: locators (FindTreatment.gov)
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Help for Mental Illnesses
This guide is for education and self-care. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. Please talk to a counselor or clinical provider about your health. Reviewed October 2026.
