How do you get over the fear of driving?

Answer 1

What worked for me was to keep thinking about something I feared even more, which made driving seem not so bad. In my case, it was flying cross-country. Also I took lessons from a competent and patient professional who did not shout at me like my husband and who kept giving me lessons as long as I needed them. I failed my first test, and he coached me through preparing to retake. I was an older learner, not like kids who think they were born knowing how to drive, and the teacher understood that I had had plenty of time to build up my terror. He gave me plenty of time to get over it. Finally, I gave myself a year to get comfortable with it and did my best to stay away from difficult situations until I got used to driving. I used to make the kids be silent every time I merged onto a freeway, saying that I had to concentrate. I probably acted nervous enough that they understood it was in their best interest not to distract me! When they fought in the back seat I would pull over and not move again until they settled down. If they wouldn't quiet down, I took them home and put them out of the car or canceled the outing. Even now there are things I try to avoid having to do, but I have never had an accident or even a close call, and I feel like I can handle all the challenges of everyday commuting. I get braver all the time. There is nothing like success to give you confidence. A good teacher was the key.