A “specific phobia of driving” requires that you either avoid
driving or riding as a passenger because of fear, or that you tolerate driving
or riding with high levels of anxiety and fear. Driving fear is not just fear
of getting behind the wheel and operating a car. It can also involve fear while
riding as a passenger.
In fact, some driving fearful people are more afraid of riding as a passenger than they are of driving, per se. Not all people with driving fear have much in the way of observable avoidance of driving, although many patients gradually become aware of subtle avoidance habits they have developed. Many people with driving fears get where they “have to” go, but suffer a great deal of distress while in a car.
They arrive at work in a bad mood or with a tension headache because of excessive tension while driving, or they have multiple “scares” whenever in a car so that their driving experience is quite upsetting. They may also restrict their actual driving or riding to only those “necessary” trips, which results in reduced social and recreational activities. Alternatively, they may alter their commuting routes in a manner that restricts their freedom of movement.
In fact, some driving fearful people are more afraid of riding as a passenger than they are of driving, per se. Not all people with driving fear have much in the way of observable avoidance of driving, although many patients gradually become aware of subtle avoidance habits they have developed. Many people with driving fears get where they “have to” go, but suffer a great deal of distress while in a car.
They arrive at work in a bad mood or with a tension headache because of excessive tension while driving, or they have multiple “scares” whenever in a car so that their driving experience is quite upsetting. They may also restrict their actual driving or riding to only those “necessary” trips, which results in reduced social and recreational activities. Alternatively, they may alter their commuting routes in a manner that restricts their freedom of movement.
Some people may think that driving fears are pretty trivial or
that they are so common that they don’t merit treatment. It is true that some
people may be able to lead a life with even a severe driving fear and not
suffer many losses because of this fear. However, this depends on the
individual’s lifestyle, work and family life, and personal goals.
For example, the writer (Bill) has a mild fear of heights. This has never been a big problem to him because he has never been a downhill skier, the fear is mild enough that he doesn’t mind looking out of high rise windows, and he has no other recreations that require him to stare down from high places. What would happen, however, if Bill had to ski to work every day, or if Bill had fallen in love with a partner whose main recreational interests were downhill skiing and climbing mountains? Luckily for Bill, there are no mountains between his home and his office. Unluckily for driving fearful people, most of us live in society where transportation in automobiles is increasingly necessary and our roads in urban centers are becoming even more crowded.
For example, the writer (Bill) has a mild fear of heights. This has never been a big problem to him because he has never been a downhill skier, the fear is mild enough that he doesn’t mind looking out of high rise windows, and he has no other recreations that require him to stare down from high places. What would happen, however, if Bill had to ski to work every day, or if Bill had fallen in love with a partner whose main recreational interests were downhill skiing and climbing mountains? Luckily for Bill, there are no mountains between his home and his office. Unluckily for driving fearful people, most of us live in society where transportation in automobiles is increasingly necessary and our roads in urban centers are becoming even more crowded.
Your therapist will help you with the activities described below,
but you need to understand that success in overcoming driving fear will depend
on you practicing new (or forgotten) skills. To get better, you will need to
a. drive and ride as a passenger much more frequently and for
prolonged periods of time
b. focus more on other drivers’ good driving behaviour and
courtesy and less on “close calls” or other drivers’ mistakes
c. learn about, and subsequently, suppress your own “safety
compulsions”, those habits you have developed to make yourself “feel” safer in
a car, but which likely maintain your fear in the long run
d. identify and alter beliefs and automatic thoughts that make you
feel more at risk in a car
Solution For Driving Fear