Overcoming driving anxiety: the first three steps

Anxiety is not a character flaw

Driving anxiety almost always has a concrete trigger: a near miss, an unpleasant test, a long break from driving, sometimes just one situation that got out of hand. The body remembers.

Step 1: Name the fear precisely

Not "I am afraid of driving", but exactly: roundabouts, motorway slip roads, reversing with people watching, night driving in the rain. The more precise the description, the more targeted the training.

Step 2: A first session without driving

We often start with the car stationary. Getting to know the vehicle, seat position, mirrors, breathing. If you do not have to drive at the first session, you are far more likely to turn up at all.

Step 3: Short distances, clear limits

We drive exactly as far as you decided and not a metre further. You set the pace. That control is the real remedy, not the kilometres covered.

What helps and what does not

Helps: fixed routines, quiet times of day, a second brake pedal, someone who does not comment. Does not help: comparisons, time pressure, well meant advice from friends, "just a quick drive through town".

A first conversation

Fifteen minutes on the phone, free of charge. We look at your situation and you decide afterwards, in your own time.