I have anxiety with learning to drive, I fear driving a car

Hi. It’s Jenny at AnxietyBoss.com. Our question today is from Robert in Houston, Texas. I have anxiety with learning to drive. I fear that I will never learn to drive and will end up in an accident and even fail my driving exam.

This is called catastrophizing, imagining the absolute worst outcomes in the situation. Practice driving with an experienced driver. Study the test manual or other sources. Become as familiar as you can with the workings of your car and the road and traffic system. Prepare as much as possible and become an expert on driving.

You can ask yourself what the impact of your fears will be, no pun intended, if you had an accident. Most drivers are involved with minor accidents at some point. It is scary, embarrassing if you were at fault, it can be expensive and a big inconvenience, but it’s often not a total disaster or a life-changing event. Do more serious accidents occur in which life is lost or serious injury incurred or a vehicle is damaged beyond repair? Yes, of course, this happens every day.

Life is not, and it never will be, completely safe. This is something to accept because the alternative can be paralyzing. Dwelling on an accident, fearing that something bad constantly will happen, and being in a constant state of distress will interfere with your quality of life and impair and limit your activity and your choices in life.

Now that being said, you can take as many precautions as possible to keep yourself and others safe on the road. Never ever drive after consuming any amount of alcohol, wear a seatbelt whenever the car is in motion, and keep your car in good working order. No bald tires, wipers which work well and keep your windshield clear and have functioning headlights, brake lights, and turn signals.

There are many factors on the road which you can’t control such as weather and road conditions, not to mention other drivers. But there are factors within your control such as your level of alertness and the condition of your vehicle.