“Help! I’m Afraid of Driving!” Review of Driving Fear and its Treatment

Abstract

Fear of driving is common in the general population and can lead to serious constraints in everyday life. There has been increased attention to this area of research and clinical practice over the past few decades, and a summary of the literature on treatment approaches is timely. This article gives an overview of the current state of research on driving fear and its treatment. First, the main findings about the construct and diagnosis are summarized, including understandings of the epidemiology and etiology of driving fear. Second, existing treatment studies of cognitive and behavioral therapy, virtual reality therapy, trauma-focused and hypnosis-based interventions and treatment approaches using technological aids such as driving-simulators are presented. Until now, no randomized controlled trials (RCT) on the treatment of driving fear have been conducted. Suggestions for future research are made, especially with regard to further exploration of diagnostic features of driving fear and the need for RCTs and robust treatment procedures.