Fear of driving is growing in Spain, and more and more drivers are giving up on cars

Driving has become a problem for thousands of people in Spain . Fear or anxiety behind the wheel leads almost half of those affected to stop driving altogether, a situation that occurs especially among women between 41 and 50 years old and whose main trigger is the driving behavior of other road users.

This is according to the ‘Study on Amaxophobia. The Fear of Driving: Nature, Profiles and Treatment’, prepared by the CEA Foundation and the Ibercaja Foundation . The report analyzes how this anxiety-related disorder affects people while driving and updates the data from another study carried out by the CEA Foundation in 2018.

The research is based on a survey of 1,004 adults with a driver’s license and some type of difficulty related to anxiety while driving, i.e., amaxophobia.

One of the main findings of the study is that 49.1% of those surveyed no longer drive . Furthermore, one in four respondents (26.4%) say they only drive under certain circumstances, while 24.5% claim to drive regularly. The report reveals a clear correlation between higher levels of anxiety and less frequent driving.

The age group where this fear of driving is most prevalent is 41 to 50 years old, representing 24.8% of the cases analyzed. Furthermore, women are the majority, at 60.7% compared to men.

The study also indicates that anxiety is higher among younger age groups, influenced by insecurity, lack of experience, and still incomplete confidence behind the wheel. In middle age, this problem can persist or reappear due to past experiences, accumulated stress, or a gradual avoidance of driving.

SEEK HELP TO LEARN TO DRIVE AGAIN

On the other hand, 41.3% of those surveyed say they drive daily, while 62.6% admit to having stopped driving for long periods of time, especially between two and five years.

The main reason associated with fear of driving is the driving style of other road users, cited by 65.8% of respondents. This is followed by lack of skill (51.3%), fear of fainting or experiencing vertigo while driving (34.2%), information about traffic accidents in the media (33.6%), the influence of family or acquaintances (30.5%), and having been involved in a traffic accident (29.5%).

The report concludes that anxiety while driving is not solely dependent on having suffered an accident, but in many cases is related to the perception of threat, personal insecurity , the unpredictable behavior of other drivers, or indirect experiences of danger.

Nearly half of those surveyed (49.9%) have sought help to overcome their fear of driving. The majority turned to family members (23.6%), driving schools (17.5%), psychotherapists (16.6%), the internet (15.9%), or medication (15.9%).

MEDIUM-HIGH ANXIETY AMONG AFFECTED DRIVERS

Despite this, 59.3% of those who sought help acknowledge that it was of little use to them , and 23.1% say that it was not useful at all.

According to the study, this data reflects the need to develop more specific and effective treatments to address anxiety while driving , since it is not enough to simply recommend practice, accompaniment, or informal exposure.

The report also analyzes the intensity of anxiety using the Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Amaxophobia in Drivers (Cemic), whose score ranges from 15 to 60 points.

Those surveyed scored an average of 42.2 out of 60 , placing most in the medium-to-high anxiety range. In fact, 62.3% reported medium-to-high or high levels of anxiety while driving.