OCD and driving

I have this exact fear, I’ve gotten my permit a multitude of times and know how to drive, I’ve just never gone for the official road test because of financial reasons. I’ve found in getting myself to drive with my permit the best thing is to have someone I really trust and that I know is extremely calm and patient in the car with me, for me that’s usually my boyfriend. It also helps to start on quieter smaller roads, if there are any rural areas around you some back roads are usually a great place to practice and get more comfortable with the idea of driving because there is an extremely limited amount of things you can hit, parking lots at night are also good. I’ve just slowly worked my way up to larger and larger roadways, don’t rush it and go at your own pace. You can also try to start with really small trips, first just a circle around the block of your apartment/house, then maybe you go to the store down the road, build up your confidence with small trips that you let grow gradually. Those are the things I’ve done and I’m doing a lot better with my fear of it now so as long as everything pans out financially I’m hoping to get my official license in a few months.

i was super scared of driving for a long time. i would only drive in parking lots and just work on feeling comfortable with that. then i moved to roads in neighborhoods with slow speed limits and frequent stop signs. as you get more comfortable with small things, bigger things seem less scary, especially with driving. i still won’t drive on the freeway, i might if someone else is in the car with me but i won’t if it’s just me. if you happen to panic while driving it’s as simple as: pull over. you can pull over until you relax, or call someone to help. a lot of the time i still get anxious that i will panic and get in an accident but i always try to remember if there’s an accident, someone around will call 911 and i will get taken care of. trust me, if you and everyone else are following the simple rules of the road, it will be okay!

Ya I used to be like this. ERP is the only way. Start in an empty parking lot with a close friend or family member with you. One thing that helped A LOT was being in a big empty parking lot, going fast, and breaking really hard. It's scary to hear the screech, but it made me feel more confident that if a crisis DID arise, I could brake really hard, and the car would stop. Also, it's ok to drive for a bit, pull over for a few minutes, and just take a breath outside, then go back to driving. I always think, "better late than not get there at all."