Afraid of a crash even though you have never had one
Why driving fear can start without a crash and where to find the right help
Imagine a 34 year old woman who has driven for 15 years without a crash. Lately her chest tightens on every highway on ramp. She takes back roads that add 20 minutes to each trip. Before she leaves, she asks her partner more than once whether the roads will be okay.
If that sounds familiar, you are far from alone. A review of driving fear research describes it as common among people in general, and notes it can seriously limit everyday life [1]. You do not need a crash in your past to feel it.
This article looks at where driving fear can come from and how news, avoidance and reassurance seeking can feed it. It also covers who can help with different parts of the problem, what treatment looks like, how to practice safely, and when fear deserves a professional assessment.
Driving fear without a crash is common
For years, research on driving fear focused almost entirely on people who had been in crashes [2]. A 2002 review by researchers Taylor, Deane and Podd challenged that focus. They concluded that crashes are not the only cause of driving fear, and that fear without a crash can be just as strong [2].
Later studies support that view. A team of researchers who build driving anxiety measures noted that a crash is the starting point for only some anxious drivers [3]. A past crash, panic, and worries about other people can all add to driving fear [3].
What the studies found
- One study included 85 adults with driving fear who answered media ads [4]. People who had been in a crash and people who had not showed no significant differences in how severe their fear was [4].
- In a study that compared women with driving fear with drivers who were not fearful, the two groups had about the same number of major recent crashes [5]. The fearful group had learned to drive later [5].
- In a small New Zealand community sample of 100 adults, 8% said their anxiety about driving was moderate to extreme, and 7% described moderate to extreme fear [6]. Women reported more anxiety, fear and avoidance than men [6].
That last study was small and not a national survey. Its authors called for better ways to measure how common driving fear is [6]. Taken together, these studies suggest that driving fear in people who have never crashed is real and can be strong.
Fear is not a measure of your character
Feeling afraid behind the wheel does not mean you are weak or foolish. Anxiety is a normal part of life [7]. What matters most is how much the fear affects you and whether it is growing.
Where the fear can come from
People with driving fear do not all fear the same thing. In the study of 85 fearful adults, researchers found two main groups [4]. One group’s fear centered on danger, such as the chance of a crash. The other group’s fear centered on anxiety itself, along with driving situations that felt unpleasant [4].
The same study found that the group had high expectations that something bad would happen while driving [4]. That kind of expectation can make an ordinary drive feel risky before it even starts.
Possible starting points
Researchers name a past crash, panic and social worries as known contributors to driving fear [3]. For example, someone might have a panic attack at the wheel and then dread having another one. Someone else might worry about being judged by other drivers. In one treatment study, fear began after a crash or after another frightening event in traffic [8].
Thinking patterns that keep fear going
In the study of women with driving fear, researchers found a range of thinking errors likely to keep fear and anxiety going [5]. They also had trouble fitting the women’s fears neatly into standard diagnostic categories [5]. That is one reason a careful assessment, done by a professional, can be more useful than a label you pick for yourself.
In that same study, fearful drivers had learned to drive at a later age than the comparison group [5]. The authors suggested this may point to fear that started early [5]. Starting later can also mean fewer years of practice, though the study did not show which came first.
When crash news feeds the fear
Crash stories and dashcam clips turn up on the news and in social media feeds. For someone who already feels uneasy about driving, each story can feel like proof that the roads are dangerous.
Studies of other frightening events offer a clue about how news can affect stress. After the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, researchers surveyed 4,675 U.S. adults, including people in Boston and New York [9]. Acute stress means short term stress symptoms soon after a frightening event. Repeated exposure to news about the bombings, in some cases six or more hours a day in the week after, was linked with more acute stress than being directly exposed [9]. The study shows a link, not proof of cause. It was about a bombing. Even so, it suggests that heavy exposure to frightening news can raise stress for people far from the event.
Ways to take in news with less distress
- Notice how you feel after a crash story or video. If you feel worse, that is useful information.
- Set a limit, such as one news check a day, and skip autoplay videos.
- Avoid crash coverage in the hour before you drive.
- For trip planning, check weather and road conditions from your state transportation agency or a traffic app. That gives you facts you can act on.
- Mute or unfollow accounts that share crash footage, if they leave you shaken.
How avoidance and reassurance keep fear going
When something scares you, staying away from it brings quick relief. Driving anxiety researchers describe the most obvious form of avoidance as refusing to drive or even to ride as a passenger [3]. They also describe smaller safety behaviors, which are things people do to feel safer during a drive. These behaviors are thought to help keep anxiety going [3].
Taking active steps to avoid a feared situation is one of the signs of a phobia listed by the National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH [10].
What avoidance can look like
- Driving only on certain roads, only in daylight or only with a certain person.
- Taking long detours to skip highways, bridges or left turns.
- Turning down jobs, events or visits that need a drive.
- Checking weather and traffic apps many times before a short trip.
- Asking someone else to drive whenever possible.
Reassurance seeking
Asking a loved one Do you think I’ll be okay? feels natural. When the same question comes again and again, it can turn into what researchers call excessive reassurance seeking. In a 2023 review, researchers Halldórsson and Salkovskis described it as a behavior that can be persistent and can take over conversations between people [11]. They suggested it may play a part in keeping different anxiety problems going [11]. Most of this research comes from people with obsessive compulsive disorder and other anxiety problems, not from driving fear studies.
The same authors describe a different goal: moving from seeking reassurance to seeking support [11]. In plain terms, support is help with coping. Reassurance seeking often means asking someone to promise that nothing bad will happen, which nobody can do.
The toll on everyday travel
Driving anxiety can affect work and narrow your social life, according to research on anxious drivers [3]. A driving fear review notes that it can lead to serious limits in daily life [1]. In one treatment study, people avoided driving altogether or skipped certain situations, such as highways or unfamiliar routes [8].
Who can help, and with what
Driving fear often involves both skills and feelings. Different professionals focus on different parts of the problem.
A driving instructor
A licensed driving instructor can help you brush up on skills and practice in real traffic. In one study, 50 women with driving fear and 50 women without it each took an on road assessment with a professional driving instructor [12]. The fearful group made more errors [12]. The authors said that understanding a person’s driving skills can help plan exposure based treatment [12]. Yet in a related study, most women with driving fear said they would be unlikely to seek either psychological help or driving lessons [5].
A driver rehabilitation specialist
A certified driver rehabilitation specialist (CDRS) has a credential from the Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists (ADED) [13]. These specialists have backgrounds in health care, driver education or both, and ADED certifies both therapists and driver educators [14, 13]. An evaluation usually includes a clinical part, with tests of vision, attention and reaction time, and a behind the wheel part [14]. It can take three to eight hours [14].
This kind of evaluation fits best when a health condition, injury, disability or aging may affect your driving. ADED lists anxiety disorders among the conditions its members may see [14]. You can refer yourself, or a health care provider can refer you [14]. Costs vary. Some programs take insurance while others charge a fee [14]. ADED has an online directory for finding a specialist near you [13].
A mental health professional
A psychologist, licensed counselor or other mental health professional can assess your fear and treat it. NIMH calls psychotherapy the main treatment for phobias [10]. A visit with your primary care provider is often the easiest place to start. They can point you to a qualified mental health professional [10].
Comparison compiled by Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
Who helps with what
| Who | Main focus | Consider when |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed driving instructor | Skills and practice in real traffic | Skills feel rusty or you drive rarely |
| Driver rehabilitation specialist (CDRS) | Clinical and on road evaluation and training | A health condition, injury or disability may affect driving |
| Mental health professional | Assessment and treatment of fear and anxiety | Fear lasts, spreads or limits your life |
| Primary care provider | Overall health check and referral | You are not sure where to start |
Sources: Taylor and colleagues [12]; ADED [14, 13]; NIMH [10].
What treatment for driving fear looks like
In cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of talk therapy, you learn how thoughts, feelings and actions feed each other. NIMH describes CBT as an effective, well established way to treat phobias and other anxiety disorders [10]. Exposure therapy, often used as part of CBT, focuses on facing the fears behind a phobia [10]. It may be paired with relaxation exercises [10]. NIMH adds that medicines may help with phobia symptoms in some situations, which is a choice to make with a prescriber [10].
Graded steps
Exposure is often done in small steps. You and your therapist might build a list of driving tasks from least to most frightening. You might start by sitting in a parked car, then drive around a quiet block, then a short trip on a familiar road. Usually you stay with each step until it feels more manageable, then move to the next. The plan is set together, at a pace you agree on.
Virtual reality practice
Some clinics use virtual reality or a driving simulator to practice feared situations before you face them on real roads. A German pilot study treated 14 people with driving fear [8]. Each person met twice with a therapist to prepare, then had five sessions of virtual reality exposure in a driving simulator, followed by a test drive in real traffic [8]. On that final drive, everyone managed tasks they had avoided before. A driving instructor judged 71% to be driving adequately [8]. Their fear had started after a crash or some other scary moment on the road [8]. The study was small and had no proper control group [8].
A small Brazilian study offered 13 women with driving phobia virtual reality exposure, using a computer driving game with traffic scenes [15]. Eight finished. Their distorted thoughts and anxiety scores dropped [15].
What the evidence can and cannot say
A 2020 review of driving fear treatment covered CBT, virtual reality and other approaches [1]. It also noted that no randomized controlled trials, the strongest kind of treatment study, had been done for driving fear at that time [1].
The same research group then ran a small pilot trial, published in 2021 [16]. It randomly assigned 34 adults with driving fear at an outpatient therapy clinic to 18 sessions of CBT or to a wait list, meaning a group that waited for treatment [16]. The CBT group improved much more [16]. The authors said larger trials that compare CBT with other active treatments, such as virtual reality therapy, are still needed [16]. So the support for driving fear treatment still rests mostly on broader research on phobias and anxiety, plus small studies like these.
Practicing safely and knowing when to get an assessment
If you want to build confidence on your own, practice only in conditions that are safe for any driver. Practice is meant to stretch your comfort a little. It should never put you or anyone else in danger.
Before a practice drive
Checklist from Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
- I hold a valid license, or I have a permit and a supervising driver who meets my state’s rules.
- I am rested, sober and feeling physically well.
- The weather is clear and it is daylight.
- I picked a short, familiar route with places to pull over safely.
- My phone is silenced and out of reach until I park.
- I know that if fear spikes, I can signal, slow down and pull over where it is safe and legal.
- I have planned a small reward or a calm activity for after the drive.
Skip practice in storms, ice, heavy traffic or at night until you have worked up to those conditions, ideally with a professional. If panic makes it hard to focus on the road, pull over at the next safe place and wait until you feel steady.
Signs it is time for an assessment
NIMH explains that an anxiety disorder is more than worry that comes and goes [7]. The anxiety lingers, appears in many settings, and may grow over time [7]. It can also get in the way of daily life [7]. With a phobia, the fear is far bigger than the real danger [10].
Consider asking for an assessment if:
- Your fear has lasted for months or is getting worse.
- You turn down work, appointments or time with people because of driving.
- You feel intense anxiety right away when you get in the car, or you only drive while feeling dread [10].
- You have panic attacks while driving or before a drive.
- The fear is spreading to new roads or to riding as a passenger.
Specific phobia means strong fear of a thing or situation that carries little real danger. It is common [17]. In a national survey from the early 2000s, about 12.5% of U.S. adults had one at some point in their lives, counting all types [17]. Only a qualified professional can say whether your fear fits a diagnosis. These signs are a reason to ask, not a self test.
Questions to ask a therapist or driving instructor
Question checklist from Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
- Have you worked with people who are afraid of driving but have never been in a crash?
- How will you find out what part of driving scares me most?
- Would a driving skills assessment help, and who should do it?
- Will exposure be part of the plan, and how do we pick each step?
- How will practice on real roads stay safe for me and other drivers?
- Is practice with virtual reality or a driving simulator an option, and is it right for me?
- Can a family member or friend help with practice, and how?
- How will we know if this is working, and what happens if it is not?
- What will this cost, and could my health insurance cover any of it?
Frequently asked questions
Can I have a real fear of driving if I have never crashed?
Yes. Researchers have found that crashes are not the only cause of driving fear and that fear without a crash can be just as strong [2]. In one study, people with and without a crash history showed no significant differences in fear severity [4].
Will driving lessons fix my fear?
Lessons can help with skills. A skills check can help plan treatment [12]. Fear often needs its own care. NIMH calls psychotherapy the main treatment for phobias. It calls CBT well established and effective for anxiety disorders such as phobias [10].
Should I stop watching crash news?
You do not have to avoid all news. After a different kind of frightening event, heavy news exposure was linked with more acute stress [9]. Setting limits and skipping crash videos before you drive may help you feel steadier.
Is it safe to practice driving when I feel anxious?
Mild nerves are common during practice. Choose clear weather, daylight and quiet roads, keep your phone out of reach, and pull over at a safe place if fear makes it hard to focus. If fear keeps getting in the way, a therapist can help you plan practice. NIMH says exposure therapy sometimes includes relaxation practice too [10].
The bottom line
Recommendation from Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
Fear of driving can grow without any crash. It can be just as strong as fear that follows one [2, 4]. Heavy news exposure is linked with more stress, and safety behaviors and repeated reassurance seeking may help keep anxiety going [3, 9, 11].
A driving instructor, a driver rehabilitation specialist and a mental health professional each help with a different part of the problem [12, 14, 10]. If fear is shrinking your world, your primary care provider can help you take the first step [10].
Sources and further reading
- 1Fischer C, Heider J, Schröder A, Taylor JE. “Help! I’m afraid of driving!” Review of driving fear and its treatment. Cognitive Therapy and Research. 2020;44(2) (published online November 20, 2019). doi.org/10.1007/s10608-019-10054-7
- 2Taylor J, Deane FP, Podd J. Driving-related fear: a review. Clinical Psychology Review. 2002;22:631-645. ro.uow.edu.au/hbspapers/2598
- 3Clapp JD, Olsen SA, Beck JG, et al. The Driving Behavior Survey: scale construction and validation. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2011;25(1):96-105. core.ac.uk/download/38280445.pdf
- 4Deane FP, Taylor J, Podd J. Determining the focus of driving fears. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2000;14(5):453-470. ro.uow.edu.au/hbspapers/2579
- 5Taylor JE, Deane FP, Podd J. Diagnostic features, symptom severity, and help-seeking in a media-recruited sample of women with driving fear. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment. 2007;29(2). doi.org/10.1007/s10862-006-9032-y
- 6Taylor JE, Paki D. Wanna drive? Driving anxiety and fear in a New Zealand community sample. New Zealand Journal of Psychology. 2008;37(2):31-37. mro.massey.ac.nz/…/full
- 7National Institute of Mental Health. Anxiety disorders. Last reviewed December 2024. nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders
- 8Kaussner Y, Kuraszkiewicz AM, Schoch S, et al. Treating patients with driving phobia by virtual reality exposure therapy: a pilot study. PLoS ONE. 2020;15(1):e0226937. opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/…/Kaussner_PLoSONE_2020.pdf.p…
- 9Holman EA, Garfin DR, Silver RC. Media’s role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2014;111(1):93-98. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3890785
- 10National Institute of Mental Health. Phobias and phobia-related disorders. 2025. nimh.nih.gov/…/phobias-and-phobia-related-…
- 11Halldórsson B, Salkovskis PM. Reassurance and its alternatives: overview and cognitive behavioural conceptualisation. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. 2023;36:100783. opinvisindi.is/…/full
- 12Taylor JE, Deane FP, Podd J. Driving fear and driving skills: comparison between fearful and control samples using standardised on-road assessment. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2007;45(4):805-818. ro.uow.edu.au/hbspapers/1859
- 13Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists. Consumer page. Accessed October 2026. aded.net/page/consumer-page
- 14Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists. Frequently asked questions. Accessed October 2026. aded.net/page/FAQs
- 15da Costa RT, de Carvalho MR, Ribeiro P, Nardi AE. Virtual reality exposure therapy for fear of driving: analysis of clinical characteristics, physiological response, and sense of presence. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry. 2018;40(2):192-199. scielo.br/…/abstract
- 16Fischer C, Heider J, Taylor JE, Schröder A. Cognitive behavior therapy for driving fear: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. 2021;83:118-129. doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2021.10.005
- 17National Institute of Mental Health. Specific phobia. Accessed October 2026. nimh.nih.gov/…/specific-phobia
This article reflects the safety priorities of road safety education and emotional wellbeing for every driver. It is general education, not medical or mental health advice for any one person. Services, costs and licensing rules vary, so check official sources and talk with your own health care provider or a qualified professional about what fits you. Reviewed October 2026.
Special thanks to our contributors
We appreciate the professionals, experts, and community members who share their knowledge and perspectives to help make this resource better. Your insights are always welcome and appreciated.
Have professional expertise, firsthand experience, or a perspective that could make this resource better?
We welcome your input. Your knowledge and experience can help us make this resource more useful, accurate, and meaningful to the people who rely on it.
Thank you. Your contribution is on its way.
We’re grateful you took the time to share your knowledge with us. Our team reviews every contribution with care. If it helps improve this resource, we’ll update the page and recognize you the way you chose.
Keep learning
Safe Driving Resource Center
Guides, self-checks and articles for drivers, parents of new drivers, and families recovering after a crash.
