Driving anxiety tips?

I was in the same exact position as you 5 years ago and I know exactly how it feels. I was so scared to drive and kept putting it off because I didn't feel comfortable. However, now I do have my license and its not a worry anymore. I did not get my license until I was 24 and now I am 29. And you can definitely do it too! Here are some things that helped me: 1. Take it in small steps. Every step, no matter how big or small, is a win 2. You do not have to take freeways or the highway. The back roads work just as fine to get to where you are going 3. The more consistent you are, the more the worry will just vanish. You will become more comfortable and learn what works best for you. 4. I would recommend a bigger car. Mine is bigger and I feel more comfortable that way. Just know that you will get over this hurdle! I promise!

I have a fear of driving. I have my license and a car. When I was in high school my parents made me practice driving and getting a license. I still am terrified of driving on highways and avoid it at all costs. And I can see why having your parents in the car makes anxiety worse. It did for me too. I fortunately don’t live in a populated city but I am afraid to drive to the city where I am from so I completely understand. Every time I hit a bump I am afraid I hit someone. I have scary thoughts of crashes. Something that helps me is always planning ahead. Like I always use Google Maps to map out the best route to where I have to go. It may not be the quickest way I chose to go but it is the easiest way to drive. I hit the avoid highway button in the maps so I don’t take highways. And even if the suggested route seems scary, I try to use paths I am familiar with to get to places. I know it is terrifying but the more you practice in ways that you are comfortable with the easier it will get. And be assured when I began driving on my own and had complete control of where I go and how, driving became a lot easier. Sometimes the learning stage before you get your license is the hardest part. You got this!

I struggle with this as well. I do believe it is related to OCD in some way. Even though I have been driving for several years, I'm still very hesitant to drive on the highway as, like you, I fear making a mistake and putting people in harm's way. A few things that have been helpful for me have been short highway trips and classical music on the radio. The short driving was, I would get onto the freeway and drive to the next exit and get off. I did this for a couple of months just to get used to the idea of merging. Now I am able to drive the freeway, but I still refrain from using the middle lane as having cars on either side of me still makes me nervous. The classical music on the radio just calms me and helps me with my nerves. I would suggest to just keep driving when you can, refrain from doing so when your too anxious, and little trips on the freeway when you feel up to it. Don't push yourself because if you do and something frightening happens, you may not go back. Keep it up and go at your own pace. The goal is for you to feel good about getting behind the wheel of a car.

I have extreme driving anxiety too, the only reason I was happy to get my drivers license was because I didn't have to do lessons anymore and I had the option to never drive again :) I had my license for 3 years and I've only driven twice and almost crashed each time because I get panicked and don't know what to do anymore. Having my dad in the car is a big thing for me too because he's very critical about my driving and doesn't allow any mistakes so I pannick even more knowing that I might make a mistake. For me it was related to ocd too although it didn't start like that. But at some point I would make a list of everything I had to do before getting in the car, and when I say everything, I mean I would write down things like "turn on the engine" and I would make this list every single time I had a driving lesson and I would read it over and over again to make sure I didn't forget something cause I thought that I wouldn't remember to do that thing if it wasn't on the list. I'm also always scared that I might accidentally run someone over ore that someone will crash into me. The car itself is very scary to me too, what do you mean I'm in a box that runs on gas, the same gas that causes explosions, and I'm responsible for how this thing moves. Also, avoidance is a compulsion and I often avoided going home on weekends (I don't live with my parents and don't have a car so the only times I drive is when I go home) even though I wanted to go home because I didn't wanna risk my dad asking me to drive. I guess the only way to get over it is to keep practicing and to do it even if we're scared, at our own pace, on roads we feel safe on at first. It's the only way to gain skills and to show your brain nothing bad is happenning but personally I'm not there yet :)