Sometimes referred to as amaxophobia, the fear of driving is incredibly common and may be mild or severe. Some people fear only specific driving situations, such as driving in storms or on freeways, while others are afraid of simply sitting behind the wheel.
Although you can manage symptoms of driving anxiety, it often does not go away on its own. Overcoming it usually requires help from a psychologist or other mental health specialist. Common treatments for driving anxiety include cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and virtual reality treatment.
Though it is not illegal to drive with anxiety, drivers should do so with caution. Those dealing with it may have severe physical responses like panic attacks, shaking, or even fainting, which can severely inhibit your driving ability and create a dangerous roadway.
The good news is that driving gets easier with time. The keys are to practice and drive where you feel the most comfortable. By continuing to drive and fighting through negativity, you can build confidence. Confidence is the defining factor between good drivers and poor drivers.
You might be driving slowly to ensure that you pass your test, but this is misguided, since where you drive hesitantly your examiner will see a lack of skill. Believe it or not, slow driving is likely to be marked as a fail-worthy driving fault, in the same category as stalling the engine or mounting the pavement.
Changing & Merging Lanes:
It can be difficult for new drivers to judge the time and distance optimal for changing and merging lanes. The process of slowing down the vehicle, turning on your blinker and guessing whether the driver behind you will allow you enter the lane or not can be overwhelming.
Be patient with yourself
Bourne has had patients take two months to overcome a driving phobia, and others take two years. Everyone is different.
It takes the average person about six months to get used to driving, so it might take some time and patience for you to get comfortable with driving. It's okay if it takes you a little longer, too! The average person will drive for about 40 hours within that six months.
Learning to drive at your pace
As a rule of thumb, learning to drive takes around 45 hours of professional lessons and 20 hours of practice. That could be spread out over three or four months. The trouble is, everyone is different.
In a vehicle with an automatic transmission, one can learn basic driving within a day. However, in a car with a manual transmission, it could take at least two days to learn basic driving.
It takes 5 years of professional experience to become a driver. That is the time it takes to learn specific driver skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. There are certain skills that you need to obtain in order to become a successful driver. Some of the most common skills are listed below.