Tips for Overcoming Driving Fear, from One Formerly Fearful Driver to Another

She may not be Ann Landers, but advice columnist Prudie has a nugget of knowledge or two for folks who regularly read her “Dear Prudence” column at Slate.com. One nugget came from personal experience, when Prudie was faced with a question from a 25-year-old woman who was too full of driving fear to even attempt to get her driver’s license.

Ends up Prudie had her own bout of driving anxiety that kept her without a driver’s license for years. But she finally pushed herself to get over it – and urges the 25-year-old to do the same.

One of the key similarities that stick out about both situations are the reason both women suffered from driving phobia in the first place. Each had their own past experience that fueled driving fears so severely that the mere thought of getting behind the wheel filled them with anxiety.

Prudie was scared off by those nasty movies teens see about car crashes. The letter writer was still petrified about driving around with her younger siblings in the car, something her parents told her she would be in charge of once she got her driver’s license.

The thought distressed her so much, she never got her license.

Read how Prudie got through past driving fears and how she encouraged the woman to do the same.

Read driving anxiety entry posted at Slate.com: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/dear_prudence/2013/01/dear_prudence_do_i_have_to_learn_how_to_drive.html