Driving Anxiety and Driving Exposures

Understanding Driving Anxiety in Context

When I talk about driving anxiety in this context, I’m referring to being afraid to drive specifically because of how you feel while driving, not necessarily because you think driving itself is inherently dangerous. If your internal experience wasn’t uncomfortable, you’d likely have no issues driving.

Based on my work with clients and my own past struggles with driving anxiety, I’ve noticed it typically falls into a few categories:

1. Fear that anxiety will make driving dangerous (“I’ll be so anxious I’ll lose control of the car”)
2. Fear of psychologically “breaking” and deliberately causing harm (“What if I snap and drive off the bridge?”)
3. Simply not wanting to experience panic while driving
4. Fear of specific anxiety symptoms while driving (dizziness, visual disturbances, etc.)
5. Fear of experiencing anxiety while others are in the car

It’s worth asking yourself: Is driving really your only anxiety trigger? Since the driving itself isn’t the true problem (it’s your internal experience), there’s a good chance you’re managing anxiety in other areas of your life too. This is important because working on any form of anxiety can help with driving anxiety.

The Feeling Is the Exposure

This is perhaps the most critical point to understand: the feeling is the exposure, not the driving.

When we talk about exposure therapy for driving anxiety, many people misunderstand what that means. They think they need to drive longer distances or on busier roads to make progress. But that’s not quite right.

The exposure isn’t to the highway, or being far from home, or the act of driving itself. These are simply triggers. The real exposure is to the uncomfortable internal experience—the anxiety, the panic, the scary thoughts, the physical sensations.

This means if you panic just holding your car keys before even leaving the house—that counts as a driving exposure! If you get anxious sitting in your driveway without turning on the engine—that counts too! If you only make it 100 yards from home—again, that’s a valid exposure.

The goal isn’t to practice driving. The goal is to practice being anxious and afraid while driving (or while contemplating driving).

Ways to Practice Without Driving

Here’s something many people don’t realize: you can work on driving anxiety without actually driving.

Interoceptive exposures can be incredibly helpful, especially if your driving anxiety is focused on physical sensations. These are exercises that safely recreate anxiety sensations (like dizziness, racing heart, shortness of breath) in a controlled environment. By practicing tolerating these sensations in your living room, you build the skills to handle them while driving.

Imaginal exposures can be powerful for those who fear losing control. This might involve writing detailed scripts about your worst-case scenarios and repeatedly reading them until they lose their emotional grip. You can do this sitting at home, or for added effectiveness, sitting in your parked car.

Both these methods can build your capacity to tolerate discomfort before you ever put the key in the ignition.

What Isn’t Avoidance

Many people misunderstand what constitutes avoidance when doing exposure work for driving anxiety:

• Pulling over when overwhelmed is NOT avoidance (as long as you’re still experiencing the feelings)
• Listening to the radio or talking with a friend while anxious is NOT avoidance
• Singing along to music while experiencing anxiety is NOT avoidance

Avoidance means:

1. Preventing the scary feelings from happening at all
2. Trying to manually control or reduce those feelings on demand
3. Running away from the feelings

If your anxious drive looks similar to your non-anxious drive, just with uncomfortable feelings along for the ride, you’re doing it right.

Don’t Forget the Learning Part

This is where so many people miss the mark with driving exposure work. The goal isn’t the driving or the distance—it’s what you learn from each experience.

If you’ve been reliably driving 10 miles and suddenly have a panic attack just 2 miles from home, that’s not a failure—it’s a learning opportunity. Every time you practice moving through that triggered state you think should never happen, you’re making progress.

Ask yourself before each drive: “What might I learn today about myself, my anxiety, and my ability to be psychologically flexible?”

Your goal isn’t to learn how to drive. Your goal is to learn that it’s safe to feel those feelings and have those thoughts. Once you’re not afraid of the feelings or thoughts anymore, the fear of driving naturally diminishes.

Professional Help Can Make a Difference

While I’ve outlined principles that can help you approach driving anxiety differently, working with a professional trained in exposure therapy can provide invaluable structure and support. A good therapist can help you build an effective exposure hierarchy and might suggest approaches you wouldn’t have considered.

For instance, I currently have therapy clients who started addressing their driving anxiety by spinning in kitchen chairs (as an interoceptive exposure for dizziness). They had no idea this could help, but they’re now regularly engaging in actual driving exposures in a way they could not before.

Small Steps Count

With driving anxiety, like all anxiety recovery, small steps add up. Don’t discount seemingly tiny victories. Whether you’re holding your car keys while anxious, sitting in your driveway experiencing panic, or driving around the block with a racing heart, it all counts.

Any time you open yourself up to an experience you previously thought impossible or unacceptable, you’re learning and growing. Be patient with yourself. Root for yourself. I’m certainly rooting for you, even if I don’t know exactly what steps you’re taking.

Remember, there are no magic solutions or quick fixes for driving anxiety. But with consistent practice, patience, and a willingness to have a different relationship with your uncomfortable feelings, significant and lasting change is possible. The path forward isn’t about eliminating anxiety—it’s about learning that you can drive even when anxiety is along for the ride.