My driving anxiety makes me scared to drive long distances

Driving anxiety while driving long distances is a subject we see and respond to regularly on a variety of forums where drivers are asking for help.  You might be surprised to find out that many drivers who have successfully passed their driving test then feel anxious in many driving situations.  According to a survey by Lloyds car insurance, 70% of motorists experience anxiety in difficult driving situations after they've passed their test.

These are the tips that we suggest most frequently and we hope they might help you to build your driving confidence to allow you to drive long-distance anxiety free!

Make a list of your driving anxiety worries

If it is the long distances rather than driving itself which is making you anxious this is great news because it helps you create specific strategies to help. We suggest listing all of the things that worry you and write them down in a list. Then note next to each worry, how far into a journey does that worry start? Which worries are likely to happen (such as stopping for fuel), which may happen very occasionally (such as breaking down) and which worries are not facts but instead are ‘what if’ thoughts that are negative stories or scenarios that may never happen?  This exercise will help to give you some perspective on your thoughts and worries.

Gently challenge your thoughts about driving long distances

With the worries that are likely to happen or may happen occasionally ask yourself what have you done before that might help you in this situation?  What skills do you already have?  What plan can you put in place to prepare - for example, if you are worried about breaking down, how can you make sure you have everything you need to stay safe and call for help. What can you start practising to help you feel more prepared? 

For the what-if worries which are stories and scenarios that might never happen, look at each in turn and ask yourself even though you know it might never happen and is very unlikely, what can you do to reduce that risk? 

Noticing when driving anxiety starts in a long-distance journey

Listing how far into your journey the worries start might give you some clues about what is happening at those times, are you feeling bored or tired or is there another trigger?  What strategies can you put in place to avoid any triggers that start the worries?  What length journey feels comfortable, what length feels challenging, and what length means you are experiencing anxiety?  Can you practise with journey lengths that feel mildly challenging and start to build your resilience and confidence?

Long-distance driving anxiety strategies that might help:

Breaking your journey into manageable chunks of 1 hour (or time you are confident doing) will help you manage anxiety and stop you from getting too tired and having lapses in concentration which add to your anxiety. 

When you take a break get out of the car, even simply walking around the car will change your emotional and physical state allowing it to reset and feel back in control. 

Practising breathing exercises regularly will mean you can use them to help while driving, and chewing gum, or humming/singing all help send calming signals to your brain. 

Take turns driving when there are two of you to share long journeys. 

Prepare in advance so you have everything you need with you, check the traffic reports and weather and plan your route accordingly.  Research where you can take breaks on the journey to get fuel, stretch your legs and get some air.

If you have found these tips useful you may also be interested in our stress management subscription for nervous and learner drivers. We have created a collection of the most effective stress management techniques for you to access online to be able to manage your driving anxiety driving long distances, as well as building confidence in your general driving.

One month's access to all resources including videos, audios, exercises, e-learning courses and hypnotherapy tracks costs just £10. Imagine the feeling of being calm and confident while driving wherever and whenever you wanted.  Find out more on our nervous driver's page.

We hope you have found these tips on managing driving anxiety while driving long distances helpful. Please help us by sharing this guide with others.  There is a good chance that if you found it useful, so will they.

Read more of our reviews from happy learner drivers on Trustpilot

If you would like some additional help and stress management resources to help you tackle your driving anxiety or improve driving confidence when driving long distances then our subscriptions are created by leading industry experts especially for you.

What is included:

Four relaxation audios 
Three ways to use imagery techniques 
A range of breathing exercises and a breathing audio
Positive self-talk tools and techniques to manage negative thinking 
Four TFT Meridian tapping videos for different emotions and feelings 
A range of Coaching tools and techniques to help plan ahead and change your driving mindset
Two hypnotherapy audios specifically tailored for Driving Confidence and Driving Test Nerves.
You will also get a SIX Week Introduction to Mindfulness course - learning skills you can use in stressful situations throughout your life.

These plans are created specifically for individual drivers.  We also have a range of group plans created for driving instructors, you can find more details on our ADI page.