Fear of driving a car is found in many newcomers in the first few days after they get behind the wheel. And this is considered the norm, since she herself new situation can cause discomfort associated with emerging fear. But in some cases, a person has autophobia, which prevents even getting behind the wheel, not to mention driving a car. This phenomenon no longer applies to normal emotional reactions, so you need to get rid of it.
As with all mental and psychological problems, overcoming the fear of driving a car begins with studying the causes of its occurrence. The specialist, using certain techniques and taking an anamnesis, studies the factors that led to the occurrence of autophobia (amaxophobia).
It's hard for us to imagine modern world no cars or other vehicles. According to statistics, a greater number of failed drivers could not become them precisely for psychological reasons, and socio-economic factors are already receding into the background.
Considering the causes of this phenomenon will help overcome the fear of driving a car:
The reasons for this phenomenon can be buried far in childhood, or are associated with personal characteristics and human diseases. Wrong actions of an instructor, a husband or a father teaching a future driver can also affect his psyche, leading to a complete stupor. You can understand the specific reason and start solving this problem with the help of a specialist.
How does amaxophobia manifest itself?
In the first days after the start of learning to drive a car, a traumatic situation, long break in driving, this phenomenon occurs in many. Feelings for most drivers are about the same. The fear of driving a car is described by the following behavior of the driver:
There may still be a mass of individual reactions of the body that are inherent in each individual driver.
What to do with this fear?
Fear can be formed against the background of guilt if a person, by an unfortunate accident, became the culprit of an accident or the death of loved ones. In this case, each sitting behind the wheel will be accompanied by the occurrence of re-living the situation. Here you can not do without the help of a psychotherapist or psychologist.
The question of how to overcome the fear of driving a car is of interest to many novice and experienced drivers. Experts in human psychology note that in some cases the driver can help himself. To do this, you need to take some action and listen to the advice of psychologists.
help yourself
Here are some tips to help you overcome your fear of driving:
Psychotherapy for fear of driving
Not every driver with a long and pronounced fear of driving a car comes to a psychotherapist or psychologist. This is often associated with stereotypes of perception of the first part of the name of the profession of such a specialist. Many people think that they are able to cope with their problem on their own, but time passes, and fear remains, and a person loses years to solve this problem.
The help of a psychotherapist is necessary to determine the cause of the phobia, as well as to overcome this condition.
Various methods and techniques are used, we will consider the main ones.
Fear is one of the basic human emotions that signals danger (real or perceived). Feeling fear is normal: species that did not experience fear, if such existed, died out. The mechanism of primary fear is simple: receiving a signal of danger, the brain, or rather, the hypothalamus, sends an electrochemical impulse to the adrenal glands, which immediately inject hormones into the blood - adrenaline and norepinephrine.
Such an "injection" leads to an instantaneous complex reaction of the body, the external manifestations of which in different people may proceed differently. In general, fear can be expressed as an excited or depressed emotional state. When applied to driving a car, both conditions can lead to a fatal error, but the excitation response is considered to be preferable.
If we are talking about reflex actions associated with a reaction to danger, then it makes sense to work with your reflexes. At the same time, the fear of driving a car can be partly social in nature: fear of criticism from the instructor, other drivers, etc. If you have the desire to do so, you can overcome fear. How to do this will be shown in this article.
A portion of adrenaline, getting into the blood, puts the body on alert. Walter Cannon called the "fight or flight" response to danger. For cocky boys at recess at school, it is considered valor to use only the first response option. But, if you are driving a car that is rapidly approaching an obstacle, you will agree that the right decision is to avoid a collision. After all, fear and cowardice are not the same thing.
Car related fears
There are a number of fears, one way or another related to the car. It cannot be said that all of them are groundless, because the car is a means heightened danger and news feeds regularly confirm this thesis. As you know, naming the enemy is the first step to defeating him. This means that awareness of a specific moment that causes discomfort will help overcome the fear of driving.
We will list some of the fears associated with the car and offer our options for overcoming them.
Fear of the car "in principle"
This fear is irrational and arises from a mistaken subconscious feeling that the car, like an animal, has a will of its own and "can go by itself." The subconscious is very trusting, there are both negative (it's amazing how such nonsense got there) and positive sides. The latter is manifested in the fact that it can be reprogrammed by repeatedly reporting the truthful information that the machine is always controlled by a person.
Fear of losing control of the car
Similar to the previous one, although it already indicates some (very insufficient) experience. There are three aspects here: firstly, learn materiel. The better you know the device of the car, the less reason you will have to complain about its uncontrollability. Secondly, the more driving practice, the better better result. And thirdly, always make sure you get behind the wheel of a serviceable car. The main thing is the serviceability of the brakes, steering, sound and light signals.
Fear of oncoming and passing traffic
It arises due to insufficient experience and lack of a sense of the dimensions of your car. Overcome with regular practice. At the initial stage - with an instructor and along a familiar, not overloaded route. The author of these lines, many years ago, for the first time driving his father's car on his own, having covered 30 km along a deserted highway, was covered in sweat, but proud of his “achievement”. I began to realize the dimensions of the car after the first independent (not quite successful) attempt to enter the garage. I would like you to avoid such experiences in your training. Believe me, it is not only possible, but also much cheaper.
Fear of becoming the culprit of an accident
You know, if you have a fear of death, then ... you are all right. But seriously, practice and self-confidence will help to avoid an accident. The second grows as the first develops. If you learn to experience positive emotions from the very process of driving, then it will not be difficult to overcome the fear of driving a car, because negative emotions always overlap with positive ones. Yes, and one more thing: in the process of dealing with the last of the mentioned fears, nevertheless, do not rush to turn off one very important option of the psyche - the instinct of self-preservation.
Life without fear
Driving a car can be treated as an exciting game, gradually complicating the conditions. At first, it was just driving around a training ground called an autodrome. Then - driving around the city, at night, in conditions limited visibility(rain, snow, fog). And finally, in complex road conditions(ice, rush hour). All this contributes to a wonderful adrenaline rush and works great, especially without an instructor. The main rule is that such training should take place ... on an electronic simulator.
A novice driver is simultaneously bombarded with a huge amount of new information. He is required to have the ability in a very short time to accept a large number of right decisions, and in the right order. There is no time to think about the situation. An experienced driver makes the vast majority of decisions reflexively. Reflexes are known to be trainable.
Study the device of the machine, increase self-esteem, remember the rules traffic and, most importantly, spend as much time as possible developing motor skills. Having learned all this, you will no longer think about how to overcome the fear of driving a car. You just get rid of it in the process of gaining experience.
Also watch the video from which you will learn what actually prevents you from driving a car:
Any fear is born in the subconscious, and sometimes it is difficult to deal with it. The fear of driving is no exception. It would seem that the driving school was passed, the exams were successfully passed, but the lady still feels genuine horror at the need to drive. How to overcome the fear of driving a car for a newbie woman?
Often a woman experiences a fear of driving even after obtaining a license.
Fear and phobia of driving
All experts clearly distinguish between the concepts of fear and phobia and will certainly give a name to the latter. Since there is no medical term for fear of driving, it is not worth calling this phenomenon a disease. If we compare fear with a phobia, it becomes clear that in the first case we are talking about a kind of barrier that, with competent actions, can be overcome.
As for the phobia, this phenomenon is of an obsessive nature and is often born in the bowels of the human psyche. Fear of driving a car is not a serious mental problem, so if you suddenly think about how to overcome your fear of driving, you are halfway to solving the problem.
What newbies are afraid of driving
The majority of women who get behind the wheel for the first time are afraid of losing the comfort zone in which they were while studying at a driving school. While the instructor was nearby, the lady felt safe, but now she has to sit behind the wheel alone, without having an adviser nearby.
What is the novice female driver afraid of?
- Get into an accident. This is the most understandable and understandable fear, which is often born in the hearts of even experienced "kings of the roads." Indeed, it's scary - to crash someone's car or, conversely, to become a victim of a reckless driver who crashed into the hood of your car.
- Hit a pedestrian.
- Car breakdown while driving. This point is, of course, inherent in “green” female drivers, since an experienced road user already knows that if such a situation suddenly occurs, you definitely should not panic.
- Violate traffic rules. Many ladies are afraid to confuse road sign or main road with a secondary one. Each driver understands that this is fraught not only with a fine from the traffic police inspector, but also with the deprivation of a driver's license.
- The backlash from drivers who can hardly stand the inexperienced "graduates" of the driving school and express it sound signals cars and even angry screams through the lowered glass of his car. In vain, because they are unlikely to have seven spans in their foreheads to react in this way to other people's mistakes.
Car breakdown is one of the most common fears.
Causes of fear of driving
Thinking about how to overcome fear while driving, a woman driver needs to understand not only the fear of a particular situation, but also the nature of this condition. Psychologists claim that the fear of driving a car can be completely removed if you know why it arose. Only in this case, a clear answer can be found to the question of how a woman can overcome her fear of driving. The birth of a fear of something is usually associated with a number of points, which, in turn, help shed light on the emergence of fears of driving.
Psychological causes and blocks built by the subconscious are one of the most common phenomena. A novice woman is often afraid to drive a car due to extremely low self-esteem. She seems to be:
- forget traffic rules;
- confuse speeds;
- press the wrong pedal, etc.
Often a lady who wonders how to get rid of the fear of driving a car does not know that her fear is associated with an overly critical attitude towards herself. She is worried about the opinions of others, painfully hurt by ridicule or contempt of experienced drivers.
Not less than common cause is the fear of responsibility. The lady struggles with her condition “I really want to drive, but I'm afraid” and thinks about how to overcome her fear of driving a car, but does not know the nature of her fear. But here everything is explained very simply: a woman is subconsciously afraid to take responsibility, shifting it to someone else. While she was driving with an instructor, she succeeded, but now the woman is driving alone, and she has to cope with traffic situations on one's own.
Lack of practice is another common cause of fear of the steering wheel. Without the experience of driving, both a man and a woman experience fear, which can only be overcome by practical “exercises”.
Negative experience: "How to overcome the fear of driving in the city?" - thinks a female driver who will have to drive on her own after seeing an accident. Having become a participant or witness of an accident, it is hard for a girl, especially an impressionable one, to forget what she saw. She transfers this unpleasant event to herself and is afraid of being in a similar situation.
If fear is present, it must be removed, especially when its cause becomes clear. In order for a beginner to overcome his fear and drive a car, you just need to heed the advice of experienced drivers.
- Practice. This is the first and foremost condition for a person who is wondering how to overcome a strong fear of driving a car. The more you ride, the more skills you will have. Yes, it is quite possible that you will break firewood and make a mistake somewhere, but there is no experience without flaws. Try to drive as often as possible, and start with daylight hours. At first, you can choose easy routes, where the traffic is not too busy, and the likelihood that a car will jump out at you from behind a corner is minimized. Try also to go on those roads that you know well. Let at first it will be the same route, but as soon as you feel the strength in yourself, you can complicate the task. In addition, you can gradually travel to familiar places in dark time days getting used to different variant driving. To overcome the fear of driving, you can also put a "Y" badge on the hood, so that drivers will know that they are facing a rookie.
- Knowledge of traffic rules is power. No matter what anyone says, however, a driver who knows the rules of the road well feels much more confident when driving. A person with knowledge is not afraid to become a victim of an accident.
- Positive course. If you want to know how to overcome the fear of driving a car for a novice woman, which you still are, you need to tune in only in a positive way. Instead of having terrible pictures of accidents in your subconscious mind, visualize how great you are doing. Not a single guy or girl has yet managed to become a real driver on the first try, so you need to console yourself with the fact that over time everything will work out. The main thing is to get rid of bad thoughts about the accident, which, as you know, can materialize.
- Understanding that you are no worse. Low self-esteem is what prevents many people from living. Young drivers are no exception, because it is often difficult for them to start believing in themselves and their abilities. Psychologists answer the question of how to overcome the fear of driving a car with full confidence- you need to increase your self-esteem, as well as resistance to criticism. Even if you meet disgruntled drivers on the road, you should not pay attention to them and react painfully. After all, before they became professionals, they were beginners just like you.
Help from a psychologist
If a beginner cannot cope with the fear of driving on his own, and the question “How to overcome the fear of driving a car” remains open, you will have to involve a specialist in solving the problem. A variety of exercises and practices help to change your attitude to driving in a positive way.
In the classroom with a psychologist, you can work on your fears by drawing them on a piece of paper. This method is old, but very reliable, because graphics allow you to realize your problem and look it in the "eyes". After that, the drawing can be burned, thus expelling fear from oneself.
Breathing exercises can be a great option.
How to overcome the fear of driving a car with their help? Proper breathing can relieve anxiety, and with it the fear of driving. It is enough to lie on the couch and inhale and exhale the air as measuredly as possible.
There is also an option in which all negative information can be spoken or imagined to the smallest detail. For example, it could be a situation on the road when a car broke down or you were stopped by a traffic police inspector. Live this moment and share it after everything with a psychologist. The so-called study of the situation allows you to feel your fear and destroy it. Now you are unlikely to have questions related to how to overcome your fear of driving a car and still get behind the wheel.
How to overcome fear of driving? Our world is arranged in such a way that even from childhood, a cautious attitude to transport is invested, considering it as something dangerous. Permanent bans from playing next to carriageway, the sharp cries of parents when crossing the street, of course, are due to the desire to save the child's life and teach safety, but at the same time put the fear of vehicles. The problem of how to overcome the fear of driving a beginner must begin to be solved even at a driving course, since most people who graduate from them do not drive in the future, and the reason is precisely fear, and not the presence of a car or the ability to maintain it.
News feeds and photo of the accident statistic that planes are safer passenger car are triggers for the emergence of paralyzing fear, which directs all human actions not to tame technology, but to avoid contact with it. Which of the moments and when it will work for you remains a mystery, and for some, fear manifests itself even during training, and someone may suddenly get to know him after a dozen years of successful driving.
How to overcome fear of driving
Any fear has reasons and can be conditionally decomposed into components, so with the fear of driving, three categories are most significant:
- fear of getting into an accident (this includes the fear of all possible consequences accidents, including death, disability, severe injuries, survivor syndrome, material losses, etc.);
- the fear of not coping with the situation includes all aspects of management vehicle: fear of stalling at an intersection, inability to pass in the opposite direction, inability to park or turn into the required lane;
- fear of losing reputation or looking stupid, which includes the fear of minor flaws that are ridiculed in the driver's environment (forgetting to turn on the turn signal, driving too slowly, “parking like a girl”, etc.).
Most fears are successfully overcome by a person on their own, if they work on it, with the support of loved ones or with regular driving training. But do not forget about severe cases that are not related to the question of how to overcome the fear of driving for a beginner, but having serious traumatic experiences or long-standing events. Such fears are inherent in people who have experienced their own accidents or the death of loved ones related to a car - then work with a psychologist is required to overcome it, and if fear comes from childhood and its causes are not logically and consciously clear, you can not do without.
Also, extreme and emergency driving courses give you incredible confidence and freedom, after passing them, driving in an urban environment in a serviceable car will seem like an easy and exciting walk. By the way, in addition to standard driving schools, there are driving courses for women, where the peculiarities of psychology are taken into account and you will not have to deal with the psychological problems that have arisen on your first trips on your own.
How to overcome fear of driving after an accident
Any traffic accident is a significant stress for the nervous system, actualizing existential questions of existence and putting a person directly in the face of possible death. In addition to being aware of our own finiteness, accidents bring us into contact with other people's lives. There are many ways to develop. Someone, having got into even a minimal incident, with the help of his own, inflates the problem so much that he no longer gets behind the wheel. Another person, almost losing his life, escaping with injuries of various levels, will have grounds for real fear for his own life, and someone can survive, but other people will die and then the guilt for their lives will forever settle in the soul. There are many more examples and they are all different, different, like people, because there are those who continue to ride on without experiencing fear.
Fear is a normal reaction of the body that performs a warning and protective function. So its presence is quite an adequate signal that it can be unsafe on the road. This is not a phobia, and by getting rid of such a fear, you will automatically turn off caution, attentiveness, which increases the level of risk.
When fear arises after a severe accident that has claimed lives or caused severe physical injury, then there is a place and leaving it intact, hoping to reap benefits, can be unsafe. The psyche has experienced a severe shock, former beliefs, which means that it is necessary to replenish mental resources and search for new supports. It is better to turn to a specialist who specializes in crisis situations and knows how to work with psychotrauma - so the rehabilitation process will be faster and more environmentally friendly.
Survivor syndrome or almost always accompanies drivers who have been in an accident where people died. Such feelings are very difficult and you can process them on your own for several years, despite the fact that in fact the driver acted in the only right way. Recognition of the right to a further free life and removal of guilt includes multiple measures of rehabilitation, work with psychotrauma, an objective assessment of the situation, which is best done together with a psychologist.
Common advice to drive more often and force yourself to practice this case will only aggravate the injury, since the return to the road will be possible after the leveling of the psycho-emotional state of the person. It is better to travel in a car as a passenger, and for as long as necessary. It is better to ignore third-party advice and beliefs, why it is necessary to get back behind the wheel faster, and give yourself the opportunity to be in various roles, perhaps the desire to be a driver will never appear in your soul again, so be it.
If the situation in life is such that it is necessary to return to driving, but there is a fear of a repeat accident, then it makes sense to take courses in emergency driving in extreme conditions. They are all focused on improving skills and training the body to automatically respond correctly in non-standard situations. If your fear is connected precisely with the possibility of a repetition of the outcome, then additional knowledge will remove anxiety and give confidence. Return to driving as gradually as you did during the learning stages - initially with someone, carefully planning the route, refreshing your head theoretical knowledge and updated rules.
Nowadays, almost everyone wants to become a motorist. Driving licenses are often included in the set of documents of any person - both men and women. The desire to learn how to operate the machine clearly is a useful skill. But some people experience discomfort and reluctance to drive. How to overcome fear of driving? How to stop being nervous and take control of yourself? These questions should be answered by anyone who is trained in a driving school.
Why do we experience fear and even panic?
Subconsciously, there is always a fear that a huge car will get out of control. In this case, a hidden threat to health and life is manifested. In addition, the situation on the roads is now far from ideal - constant traffic jams, busy traffic, reckless drivers and violators are getting on your nerves. Any newbie worries about getting into an accident.
Thus, there are several key reasons for the appearance of fear:
- Full responsibility for yourself, passengers and other road users.
- Fear of difficult and incomprehensible situations (the car will stall, a controversial moment will arise on the road, etc.).
- The probability of getting into an accident or knocking down a person.
Experienced drivers already know exactly how to act in a given situation. They are already able to respond to any situations at the level of reflexes, so they don’t think about the meaning of signs, they don’t try to remember the rules. But beginners constantly have to be on the alert, and this is very exhausting.
In addition, young people, as a rule, tend to quickly get driver license and get behind the wheel of a car. But now the situation is such that driving gives little pleasure - traffic jams, bad roads, the need to look for parking spaces, concern for the safety of the car, etc. Because of this, sometimes it is better to be a pedestrian.
In any case, even if the car is not expected to be used often, it is necessary to overcome the fear of driving. Every motorist and road user should feel confident. The safety of him and other drivers depends on this.
Understanding the reasons described above makes it possible to find effective methods overcoming your fears.
Areas of work
Usually there are several main areas of "work on yourself":
- getting the necessary experience
- improving skills,
- detailed study of traffic rules and laws.
It is often said that it is better not to study in major cities. Of course, not everyone has this opportunity. But, despite this, the first time after driving it is recommended to gain experience.
The main task is to learn to "feel the car".
You can drive away from the main city roads and on deserted streets - that's how to overcome the fear of driving. At this stage, it is worth putting an experienced driver next to you so that he explains the various points. Several such trips will give confidence.
Sharpening your skills and gaining experience are the main ways to deal with your fear of driving.
Another important point- continuous learning. Sometimes people relax after they get a driver's license. But this is wrong, because at first, newly minted motorists do not yet have a sufficiently strong and reliable layer of knowledge. And this can play a cruel joke.
At first, it is worth regularly repeating traffic rules. To do this, you can read relevant books or browse thematic sites on the Internet. There are also various online self-tests available.
While driving, you should notice various signs and incomprehensible situations, and try to figure it out so that you no longer experience discomfort.
Fear is normal for a newbie or inexperienced driver. But usually it goes away with the advent of experience. If at the same time you hone your skills and exercise caution, then no problems will arise.
What to do if the fear does not go away and develops into panic?
Some people find it really hard to get behind the wheel. Perhaps you should even limit yourself in this. But most often, of course, it is necessary to achieve some kind of result.
In this case, talking to experienced drivers and self-indulgence. In some cases, it is necessary to consult a psychologist. Usually in such a situation, they select effective therapies and already several visits give certain results. It may be worth taking some sedatives before the trip and rolling the initial experience on deserted tracks.
Combination various methods usually helps to achieve the desired result. But some people are still not "drivers" by nature, and there is nothing wrong with that. If necessary, they can drive the car, and this is usually enough.
Video
We offer you to watch the video and learn tips on psychological preparation for driving:
