Why Highway Driving Anxiety Happens and How to Cope

I live in New Jersey, where it would be a significant understatement to say that driving can be challenging and chaotic. We have a lot of highways, and traveling in certain areas can feel overwhelming and even frightening. New Jersey is certainly not the only state where driving can induce anxiety. The reality is that the highways in our country move fast, are often as wide as five or six lanes, and are traveled upon by myriad drivers, not all of whom abide by the safest driving practices.

All this is to say that experiencing anxiety while driving on the highway is neither uncommon nor neurotic. When situations and environments are hectic, our nervous systems go into a state of high alert and overdrive (no pun intended), which produces physical responses such as sweating, accelerated heart rate, dizziness, and feelings of losing control. Experiencing these somatic symptoms while driving can feel really frightening.

So, what can you do if driving on highways causes you to feel anxious? While a common response is to simply avoid them altogether, this can be problematic and limiting, as many areas of the country require some form of highway travel to reach destinations in a timely manner. Short of complete avoidance, we can tap into various skills to help us travel safely and with reduced anxiety and fear.

Meeting Anxiety With Rational Thinking

First and foremost, as is always the case with challenging anxious thoughts, we need to restore a sense of safety for ourselves. This begins with meeting anxious and catastrophic thoughts with more rational and logical thinking. While the worst-case scenario thought in an anxious moment might be, “I will get in a fatal accident,” a more rational thought might sound like, “This is a very busy road, but I am a safe driver.”

Notice how the rational thought is much more in tune with the reality of the situation: It acknowledges that the highway is busy but avoids drawing a catastrophic conclusion. This type of cognitive challenging can help us to remain in a state of calm even as we travel upon busy, fast-moving roadways.

Certain statistics support this type of rational thinking: According to the Federal Highway Administration, “the majority of fatalities take place on rural roads,” not on interstate highways or freeways. So, while driving on the highway may appear or feel more dangerous, the statistics do not bear this out. Again, a rational, logical, or even statistic-backed thought can effectively challenge a more anxious or catastrophic one.

Recognizing That You Are Not Trapped

A common feeling reported by individuals who experience highway anxiety is that they feel trapped when on a large, busy highway. Much like challenging anxious thoughts, a recognition that we are actually not trapped or “pinned in” by a highway can be helpful. There are, in fact, always exits on any highway, and while some may be a few miles apart, they are still opportunities to exit the situation if we so choose.

If we felt as though we were in a room with no exit, we would understandably feel suffocated and trapped, but when we recognize that there is a door through which we can leave, we might immediately feel a sense of relief. The same goes for highway travel: We are not trapped. Knowing that we are not trapped can help us to feel safe regardless of the speed or busyness of the highway itself.

Breathwork in the Moment

It is a common myth that strategies like deep breathing can only be done within the confines of a candlelit room or in the lotus position. Breathwork can immediately calm and soothe the nervous system and can be done anywhere and at any time. We can be driving and feel overwhelmed; we can take a deep, cleansing breath and feel immediately less anxious. It does not require us to stop, change our location, or even our physical position.

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When we recognize that this type of self-soothing can be done at any moment, we feel we carry with us an invaluable tool no matter where we are. When we are able to slow down our nervous system’s response, we experience a sense of calm and a return to a state of equilibrium.

Remembering Your Competency

Anxiety almost always causes us to believe that we cannot trust ourselves and that we will allow something horrible to occur through our own incompetence. Remembering and acknowledging our competency can help us to feel less at the whim of the situation and, therefore, less susceptible to catastrophe.

Chances are, you are not only a competent driver but also a good one. You understand the rules of the road, you know how to operate your vehicle, and you have likely taken many trips where you arrived safely from Point A to Point B. When we allow ourselves to pay attention to our competency and our ability to function, we fixate less on anxious or catastrophic thoughts.

Many aspects of our modern lives are fast-moving and stressful. Learning that this does not equate to imminent catastrophe is important in being able to live with the busyness of life rather than being constantly at war with it. When we travel on a busy highway, it can help us to remember that we can always do the following: tap into rational and logical thinking, remind ourselves that we are safe and are not trapped, use our breath to help calm our nervous systems, and see ourselves as competent and capable.