Driving Anxiety: Practical Tips to Build Confidence for New Drivers

Learning to drive can be an empowering experience, but many new drivers are faced with anxiety when they get behind the wheel. If you’re feeling anxious while driving, it’s critical to first understand where your anxieties are coming from so you can begin to address them to feel safe on the road. 

In this guide, we’ll help you understand the causes of driving anxiety, explore practical strategies to manage it, and show you how professional guidance can build confidence.

The truth is, while driving anxiety is common, it’s not always caused by the same thing in every individual. Driving anxiety may stem from different common causes, such as:

• Fear of accidents
• Making mistakes on the road
• Being exposed to anxious driving behaviors from family members
• Past negative experiences in or with vehicles
• Beginning to drive later in life, when one may have less familiarity with driving responsibilities
• Generalized anxiety disorders or pre-existing stress

The good news is that once you have an understanding of the root cause of your own driving anxiety, you can begin to take steps to manage and correct it and build confidence on the road. For more detailed insights into common causes of driving anxiety, we recommend you read a comprehensive article on overcoming the fear of driving by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Strategies for Managing Driving Anxiety

New drivers can use a variety of different strategies and techniques to effectively manage their driving anxiety. There are several strategies that can reduce anxiety and build confidence:

• Relaxation techniques
• Cognitive behavioral strategies (CBT)
• Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique)
• Gradual exposure to driving situations

If you’re unfamiliar with these techniques, we recommend practicing them first with the guidance of a mental health counselor or trusted sources so you can get comfortable with them in advance.

Relaxation Techniques for Managing Driving Anxiety

There are multiple relaxation techniques that can improve focus on the road, such as:

• Deep breathing exercises before and during driving
• Progressive muscle relaxation to release tension
• Mindfulness or grounding exercises to stay present

Adding these routines to pre-driving preparation can significantly reduce anxiety by retraining your nervous system to relax while in a vehicle.

10 Minutes of Focused Attention: A Quick Exercise to Calm an Anxious Mind

Cognitive Behavioral Strategies for Overcoming Driving Anxiety

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers valuable tools for reframing negative thought patterns and challenging irrational beliefs associated with driving anxiety. CBT can help new drivers develop healthier ways of thinking so that they can build resilience on the road. Here’s how it can help:

• Identify thoughts that increase driving fear
• Challenge panic triggers with realistic alternatives
• Practice coping strategies to build confidence over time
• Expose yourself to controlled driving situations

With the help of a therapist trained in CBT methods, you can overcome specific driving anxieties through consistent exposure and learning new behaviors to replace old patterns.

Tapping

Tapping, also known as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), is a holistic healing method that combines ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology. The goal of tapping techniques is to release emotional blockages by tapping on specific points of the body. There are a lot of benefits to tapping for driving anxiety, such as:

• Helps release tension associated with driving anxiety
• Calms the nervous system and promotes focus
• Brings awareness to physical stress in the body

Tapping techniques work best when you name specific driving fears while doing so. This brings awareness to specific anxieties or phobias so you can target them with mindful tapping exercises.

Exposure Therapy and Gradual Exposure Techniques

Exposure therapy involves gradually exposing yourself to feared situations or stimuli in a controlled environment. There are a few ways to expose yourself to your different anxiety triggers gradually:

• Start in low-stress environments like quiet streets or empty lots
• Incrementally increase distance, traffic, or complexity
• Repeat each step until you feel more comfortable

The key to exposure techniques is to practice them regularly. You’re not going to feel calmer after doing something stressful once or twice, but the repeated pattern of exposure is what helps reframe your anxieties and reduce fear over time.

Tips for New Drivers to Stay Calm and Focused on the Road

We like to think we’re in control when we drive. The truth is, we can be. Aside from the techniques we covered above, there are a few more tips you can implement to make driving a more pleasant experience.

Take note of the tips below and try new ones to see what works for you, or download the entire table to keep with you as a reminder.

Technique	Tip	When to Use	How It Helps
Breathing	Practice deep breathing exercises (4-7-8 technique: inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8)	Before and during driving	Activates relaxation response, reduces heart rate
Task management	Break down driving tasks into manageable steps	During complex maneuvers or new situations	Prevents overwhelm, improves focus
Mental preparation	Use positive affirmations and visualization	Before driving sessions	Builds confidence, reframes negative thoughts
Environment Control	Start with familiar, low-traffic routes	Early practice sessions	Reduces external stressors while building skills
Music and sound	Play calming music or silence notifications	During driving	Minimizes distractions, creates a peaceful atmosphere
Time management	Leave extra time for trips to avoid rushing	Planning stage	Reduces pressure and panic about being late
Post-drive reflection	Journal or note what went well after each drive	After driving sessions	Reinforces progress, identifies patterns
Emergency planning	Know your route and have a backup plan	Planning stage	Provides a sense of control and preparedness

Check out our expert guide for additional tips on building confidence as a first-time driver.

The Role of Support Systems and Coping Mechanisms

Building a strong support system and utilizing effective coping mechanisms are essential for managing driving anxiety. There’s more than one way to build a support system, so figure out the people or activities that best help you cope and lean into them. Some support systems and coping mechanisms include:

• Seeking guidance from experienced drivers, such as friends, family members, or driving professionals
• Enrolling in a driving course to master driving skills
• Practicing self-care activities before and after driving to create a calm around your experiences
• Work with a counselor or therapist who can help you manage anxiety in your daily life and while driving

Seeking Professional Help for Driving Anxiety

About 10% of American adults experience some form of anxiety in their lives. For some, this can manifest as driving anxiety. While self-help strategies can be beneficial, individuals experiencing severe or persistent driving anxiety may benefit from seeking professional help, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it can make a dramatic difference in improving your anxiety.

There are several benefits to seeking professional help to manage your driving anxiety. Let’s look at a few reasons.

Personalized coping plan

Some techniques or coping mechanisms may feel like they’re one-size-fits-all, and they don’t necessarily work for everybody. A professional, like a therapist or counselor, can create a personalized plan to understand, manage, and move past your driving fears in a safe and approachable way.

Quicker results

Applying different strategies on your own can be a help to some drivers, but some people need more of a plan. Combining therapy with ongoing driving practice and exposure can help you see results quicker than doing it on your own.

Feel safe and more confident

The guidance of a professional can help you feel safer and more confident behind the wheel. This is especially true when you work with both a therapist and a driving instructor in tandem. The professionals can work together to address your specific driving anxieties and create a plan to help you overcome them.

How Driven2Drive Builds Confidence in New Drivers

At Driven2Drive, we understand the importance of addressing driving anxiety and empowering new drivers to feel confident on the road. Our comprehensive driving programs focus not only on teaching essential driving skills but also on building confidence and resilience in our students. Hear from our students directly.

We offer personalized lessons tailored to each student’s needs so that they can get hands-on practice in a supportive, patient environment. Driven2Drive’s professional instructors always encourage communication around your anxiety to help address specific challenges, and our lessons are structured to give students both driving skills and confidence.

FAQs

References:

• Anxiety disorders – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
• Overcoming the Fear of Driving | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA
• EFT Tapping: What Is It and Does It Work for Stress?
• What Is Exposure Therapy?