Most people struggle with fears and phobias. Some even develop a fear of driving a car. In some cases, a few hours of practice can be enough to overcome this fear.
Question: “Since a traffic accident, my girlfriend has been afraid of getting behind the wheel herself. How can you help her? "
Answer by Hans Georg Marmit, motor vehicle expert at the expert organization KÜS: “The fear of driving is by no means rare. She often meets insecure novice drivers or people who lack routine due to lack of practice. But even seasoned drivers can experience situations while driving in which they are dominated by fear or even panic. In some cases, this fear can even be so pronounced that driving is avoided or even impossible.
Such fears can express themselves in a feeling of malaise or increased stress. Physical signs are palpitations, sweats, twitching eyes or even panic attacks. If you are determined by such feelings as a driver behind the wheel, it can put a heavy strain on the psyche of those affected. However, the fear can also endanger other road users. If a driver panics, uncontrolled behavior and sudden turning or sudden braking maneuvers can provoke an accident.
The causes of the fear of driving, known in technical jargon as amaxophobia, can be, among other things, drastic experiences. The trigger can be a traumatizing traffic accident, for some people, however, a small parking bump is enough, which arouses fundamental uncertainty.
In order to overcome such fears, it can help to face the unpleasant situations. If you don't do this, you may even get into a vicious circle that is becoming increasingly difficult to figure out. If you are alone in the car, a few little tricks can help you deal with fear better. To get these depressing feelings out of your head, it can help to think of a nice experience. Muscle relaxation exercises and fresh air also have a relaxing effect. Talking loudly will help calm your breathing.
If you want to expose yourself to the driving situation despite your fears, you should consider taking an experienced person you trust as a passenger with you. However, this should encourage and build on positively. An indignant complainer can actually exacerbate an anxiety problem. An alternative can be driver training courses in which you are accompanied by trained staff. A few hours with a driving instructor or a driver safety training course can help to overcome an anxiety block that is momentary or limited to certain driving situations. Here you will find a number of offers for supervised driver training.
However, the reasons for the fears may be deeper. Anyone who experiences panic attacks at the wheel or in certain traffic situations should seek therapeutic assistance. Psychologists and traffic psychologists can help cope with and overcome fears and panic attacks while driving. Often long-term behavior therapy will be necessary for this, in which those affected first have to learn to deal with their fear. "