How To Overcome Driving Phobia

A lot of people actually have a fear of driving. When they are on the road and see other cars moving beside them, they freeze in their position!

Although driving phobia is very common among newbie drivers, it can be overcome easily. All you have to do is develop skills and confidence. Once you have those two things, then you won’t be afraid to be behind the wheel anymore.

I will be providing you some basic principles on driving and how you can dispel your driving phobia so you can drive on the road without any worries.

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How To Overcome Driving Phobia

Understanding What Causes Driving Phobia

What exactly causes driving phobia? Is it the sight of other cars on the road? Or is it maybe the fear of having a car accident?

Overall, the driving phobia can be attributed to the fear of not being in control. This leads to having a fear of car accidents. Most people who are new at driving would usually see a car as a machine that controls the driver and not the other way around.

If you want to have confidence in controlling your car, then you need to know how to drive well. You also need to know how to drive safely and avoid those who drive recklessly.

Below, I’ll be explaining more details on what you can do to overcome your fear.

Learn to Relax

A lot of newbies get nervous the minute they step inside their car. This is pretty normal if you are a beginner. However, it is vital to relax first if you want to drive properly.

If you get nervous while you are on the road, then you might run into a car accident because you won’t be moving in accordance with the other cars. This is why you have to make sure that you relax the moment you get inside the car.

Once you sit down, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. When you feel like you have calmed down, then you can start driving.

Learn How to Drive

Obviously, if you want to gain confidence in driving, then you have to learn how to drive. This is why most countries have driving tests wherein a beginner cannot get his driver’s license unless he or she proves that he or she is able to handle a car on the road.

You’ll most likely be learning all there is to know about driving when you go for your driving lessons but let me give you a bird’s eye view on the basics of driving.

First of all, you must always prep yourself up before you drive.

Fix your mirrors and position them correctly. Car mirrors are extremely important because they can show you what the car at the back and the cars on the side are doing. This way, you know how to maneuver your vehicle so that you won’t hit them.

Aside from mirrors, you must also position your seat properly. Make sure that it is not too low or too high otherwise, you will feel very uncomfortable when you drive. In short, make sure you are comfortable in your seat.

Lastly, put on your seatbelt! This is something that a lot of drivers neglect to do. Do not forget to put on your seatbelt because it is your seatbelt that can save you in the event of an accident.

Now that you are all set to go on the road, I’ll give you an idea of the parts of the car.

First, we have the steering wheel which is used to turn the direction of the car. You turn the wheel to the right when you want to go right and turn it left when you want to go left. You keep it steady if you just want to continue straight.

Assuming that you are driving a manual transmission car, then you will be introduced to the gears. The gear is used to make the car manually get used to the speed of the car when it accelerates.

Gear 1 is used when you are cruising on the road and Gear 2 is used when you go a bit faster. When the car goes on normal speed, then you use Gear 3.

If your car is on the freeway and will go really fast, you switch to Gear 4 or 5 (if your car has a Gear 5). You will also switch to the R-Gear if you are reversing the car.

What if you are going fast but still on a low gear or going slow but on a high gear? Well, you will damage the car which is why you have to know when to switch gears.

If you are driving a manual transmission car, you will also notice that there are three pedals at the area where you put your feet. These pedals are the clutch, the accelerator, and the brake.

The clutch is the pedal that you press when you are about to change gears. The accelerator is the pedal you press when you want to go faster and the brake is the pedal you press to go faster.

Learn How to Be Defensive

After learning how to drive a car, the next thing to learn is how to drive defensively.

When I say drive defensively, I mean always being in a defensive position when you are on the road.

What do you do when you defend yourself from an attack? You retreat a little and inch yourself into an available space. The same concept goes for defensive driving.

First, don’t ever break the speed limit because you may crash into another car. Speeding cars are just waiting for an accident to happen so don’t copy them.

Also, you must always use your indicators or turn signals when turning. By doing this, you are giving the cars around you a heads up on where you will turn.

Always remember that driving defensively is equal to driving safely.

Maintain your Car Regularly

One of the most common things that drivers are scared of is defective parts inside the car. If there are defective parts inside the car, then the car can give way anytime.

If you want to avoid any accidents, then maintain your car regularly so that you can have peace of mind. Once you check your car, you can spot any defective parts. When you see something that doesn’t seem right, pay a visit to your mechanic right away.

One of the most important things to check when maintaining the car would be the oil, the water, and the battery. These are the things that have to be checked right away.

After that, you can check the parts one by one to see if there are any defects.

Conclusion

Once you have complete control over your car and your movements on the road, then you won’t have much fear.

If you know how to relax, how to drive, how to follow the traffic rules, and how to perform maintenance checks on your car, then you will have the feeling of control over your vehicle.

Once you have complete control over your vehicle, then you won’t fear driving so much. Slowly build up your confidence by constantly practicing.