I get extremely nervous driving! why?

Question

I'm 20 years old and i have my license,but i get so nervous when i drive.I won't go on certain roads because of too much traffic.I always take the same roads.I didn't take driver's ed or anything.How can i get over this fear? take any driving classes?

Answer 1

Try riding with drive that you trust.

Answer 2

you just lack confidence. you need to go on the roads that make you nervous when they are not so busy.

Answer 3

I was like this when I first got my license when I turned 16. Once you've been driving for awhile you'll get use to it. I hated driving on freeways, i had this huge fear. but now I'd much rather drive on it then the regular road. It'll evenutally go away.

Answer 4

I reccomend you take an instructor out with you, they will help you gain confidence on the roads.

Answer 5

What you're going through sounds intense enough to require some kind of active solution, however.

For starters, you might want to try relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or visualization.

Also, do you know anyone who is comfortable about driving and wouldn't mind talking to you about what that's like?

Another idea is to explore your driving feelings and memories with a trained therapist.

There are all kinds of therapy out there, so you may want to do some research.

Virtual reality exposure therapy, for example, simulates the experience of being in a car.

Answer 6

You have to decide what it is that makes you nervous.

If it is traffic, congestion, etc.. Go late at night to the roads where the worst traffic is. Plan a route, drive it a few times so that you are comfortable with what you need to do, what lanes to be in, when to merge, exit, etc.. Become very familiar with the way you intend to go.

Next, after you feel comfortable that you can navagate the route without any trouble, add congestion.

You may simply have tunnel vision. What I mean is, you are not confident you can pay attention to more than one or two things at a time. When you add cars completely around you, plus unfamiliar routes, you may not feel like to can grasp everything you need to and so you avoid it.

A tip to overcoming that tunnel vision is this: When you driving, keep your eyes moving, scan back and forth constantly. Learn to see what's in front of you while your looking behind and to the sides.

If you scan 5 seconds ahead, identify that there are no immediate hazardous situations ahead, you know you have at least 2.5 seconds that you can pay "less" attention to the front and look at your mirrors. Being aware is simply an excersize with the eyes and brain.

Look, know what you see, read the possibilities, determine the risk's, be prepared.