How did you all get over the fear of driving?

[Fried Rice of Many Honor]

34 super depressed and this could fix my life, never had freedom like a car.
How did you all get over that fear of i cant afford if something happens? Like a accident or something. How do you all surpass that fear of what if? The courage to push even with that just isn't there for me.

[Obelisk]

You don't, the minute you stop fearing is when you get into an accident.

[F]

With alcohol

[Hairy Hands Harry]

I never had a fear of driving. I was into cars long before I was old enough to drive. Read car magazines. Built models. Went to car shows.

[xDDD]

What are you afraid of? Getting into a crash?
It's really all about practice practice practice. When I first started driving I would just cruise around ALLLL THE TIME. Practice city driving a bit too (preferably in a small city)

[Rebel the Murderbrat]

Originally posted by Blue-Eyes White Dragon:

You don't, the minute you stop fearing is when you get into an accident.

lol wtf

[Othobrithol]

The tried and true method for dealing with all phobias is incremental desensitization.
You get close to the goal by small steps, pushing to the point where you start to get uncomfortable, hold there for as long as you can, then back off and allow yourself the accomplishment. Next time you go a little further.

A good place to start with driving is, no kidding, just sitting in the parked car. Get used to the smell, or how the seat belt constrains you. Train yourself to operate the radio by touch.

The brain really only is good for detecting differences, so as you become more accustomed to stimuli being just part of the normal, the less likely they are to trigger any sort of flight response.

[Sherasonni]

I grew up in a country where driving used to be very dangerous. It was a shock to me because I'm not originally from this country. I started to drive when I returned to a country with safer roads. It was very relaxing to drive there. By the time I returned to the country I grew up in, people had already started to drive safely.

[Mina]

I don’t drive, havent. Few distant relatives of mine were lost to drunk driving, one lost both parents, if I could I would kill drunk drivers for sport

[AerSilver ♞]

One of the better questions I've seen here lately, well done OP. What I did personally is take my car for regular night-time drives, when the road is relatively empty and forced myself to travel further every time in incremental steps. The farther I got from my town, the faster I could have drove.

tl;dr exposure therapy.

[Obelisk]

Originally posted by Murderbrat:

Originally posted by Blue-Eyes White Dragon:

You don't, the minute you stop fearing is when you get into an accident.

lol wtf

It's better to be a defensive driver. There are some crazy people who have licenses.

[Lone Wolf]

its more fear on a motorbike been riding on and off motorbikes for 32 years me NEVER had a crash once most had owned 150 bikes in that time its like you have to think ahead every move you take like your thinking whats this guy going do next in car head me on the road.

[Fried Rice of Many Honor]

Thanks everyone for the tips. i'll do what i can.

[SHAZBOT]

the trick to driving really close to oncoming traffic is staring at their side mirror as you pass.

like keeping your eye on the ball.

[Sir Dookface McFerretballs]

I never had a fear of driving.

Grew up playing racing games looking forward to the day I could drive for real.

Even did some... Driving for money at high speeds... stuff... after high school.

The only fear of driving I have is doing it in massive big cities, that crap is terrifying. THere are so many idiots in one place.

[Obelisk]

Originally posted by Sir Dookface McFerretballs:

I never had a fear of driving.

Grew up playing racing games looking forward to the day I could drive for real.

Even did some... Driving for money at high speeds... stuff... after high school.

The only fear of driving I have is doing it in massive big cities, that crap is terrifying. THere are so many idiots in one place.

That's the main issue with cities. Traffic and idiots.