Bandai Choi
Clinical Psychologist | Board-approved supervisor
Breathe-n-Smile Psychology, Essendon North, Footscray and telehealth across Australia
“Why am I scared to drive when the accident is over?” Feeling anxious about driving after a car accident is common. A familiar intersection might suddenly make your heart race. You may feel tense as a passenger, even when someone you trust is driving. These reactions do not mean you lack courage, and they do not automatically mean you have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Understanding what sets off the fear can help you work towards travelling with greater confidence, at a pace that is physically and psychologically safe. [1][2]
TL;DR
- Anxiety after a road accident can affect drivers, passengers and pedestrians, not only people returning to the scene of a crash. [1]
- Avoiding a frightening road situation may feel better immediately, but repeated avoidance can gradually restrict everyday life. [1]
- Coping skills, carefully planned gradual exposure and psychological treatment may help. Persistent trauma symptoms deserve a broader assessment. [1][3]
- If fear is disrupting work, medical appointments or family life, a GP or psychologist can help you consider treatment and any relevant TAC pathway. [1][4]
Why driving feels different
Before the accident, a braking car or a busy junction might barely have registered. Afterwards, a similar sound or place can trigger a pounding heart, shallow breathing, tense muscles or an urge to leave. [1]
You might avoid driving alone, freeways or the scene of the collision. Some people feel worse as a passenger, when someone else is in control; others feel anxious crossing a road. [1]
Accident reminders and fears of another crash may contribute. But not every difficulty with driving is psychological. Pain, poor sleep, dizziness, medication effects and unhealed injuries also matter. Physical readiness and road safety must be considered alongside anxiety.
Avoidance and anxiety
A lift can be sensible while injury, exhaustion or medical fitness prevents safe driving. Avoiding an unsafe journey is not something to overcome.
Yet when it is safe to travel, anxiety can start setting the limits. You avoid one intersection, then the freeway, until attending work or medical appointments depends on someone else. Avoidance brings short-term relief but can also keep the fear going by removing opportunities to learn what is manageable. [1]
Recovery involves separating present risks from reminders of the crash, sometimes with a psychologist's help.
Anxiety and trauma symptoms
Driving fear alone does not establish PTSD. Some people feel anxious only in certain traffic situations. Others also have intrusive images, nightmares, persistent alertness, low mood or avoidance of accident reminders. Assessment is needed to understand these symptoms. [2]
Seek advice if the fear is not easing or begins disrupting sleep, work, family life or rehabilitation.
If pain, dizziness, vision or concentration problems, or medication effects might impair driving, ask your treating medical professional about fitness to drive first. Emotional readiness does not replace medical and road-safety considerations.
Treatment options
A psychologist can help identify what feels threatening: another collision, losing control, being a passenger or returning to the accident site. Treatment then considers anxiety symptoms, fearful predictions, avoidance and practical goals. [1]
CBT and graded exposure are common approaches. Rather than tackling the hardest drive first, you work through manageable steps. The TAC gives examples of sitting in a parked car, then sitting with the engine running. Steps need to suit your symptoms, physical recovery and safety. [1]
If painful memories or clinically important PTSD symptoms are also present, trauma-focused CBT or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) may be appropriate. Guidelines recommend these for suitable PTSD presentations, not for every person with driving anxiety. [3] Explore our EMDR therapy approach.
Returning to travel
A safe first step might be spending a few minutes in a parked car, or travelling as a passenger with someone trusted. Choose a step where you can practise coping safely. [1]
Pain, poor sleep or difficult conditions may call for an easier step or a pause. Do not attempt self-directed exposure in live traffic if panic, dissociation or other symptoms affect safe vehicle control. Discuss the plan with treating professionals, and stop in a safe place if you cannot drive safely.
A necessary trip or appointment may be a useful first goal.
TAC support
In Victoria, TAC may pay reasonable psychology costs for transport-accident-related injuries, including relevant anxiety and adjustment difficulties. Medical referral, clinical need, approval and fee rules apply; funding is not automatic. [4]
Tell your GP how travel has changed; have relevant claim, referral and approval details available. Our separate WorkCover and TAC psychology page explains what to check before booking. Check approval and gap-payment requirements before booking.
Four practical steps
- Identify your particular triggers. Note whether intersections, fast traffic, being a passenger or certain sounds are difficult. You do not have to write out the whole accident.
- Notice the body signals. A racing heart, shallow breathing or tense shoulders may tell you when to pause. Practise slower breathing or relaxing your shoulders somewhere safe, not while trying to manage unsafe driving. [1]
- Choose a manageable, safe first step. That might mean sitting in a parked car or discussing an exposure plan with a clinician, rather than testing how much panic you can tolerate on the road. [1]
- Explain what the fear is costing you. Tell your GP or psychologist if you are missing work, rehabilitation or family activities. The impact matters when deciding what support would be useful. [1]
You may also be interested in
- Does time heal trauma? Why a sound, place or ordinary moment can still bring back a powerful reaction.
- Getting ready for EMDR What assessment and grounding may look like before working on distressing memories.
- EMDR or trauma-focused CBT? How two trauma-treatment options may be discussed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have driving anxiety even if I was only a passenger?
Yes. The TAC describes transport-related anxiety affecting passengers and pedestrians as well as drivers. What matters is when the fear appears and how it affects your life. [1]
Get in touch
Breathe-n-Smile Psychology provides clinical psychology support for anxiety and trauma-related difficulties following transport accidents.
Appointments are offered in Essendon North and Footscray, with telehealth across Australia.
To enquire or book, call 0431 828 769, email reception@breathe-n-smile.com, or use our online enquiry form.
References
- Transport Accident Commission (TAC). Anxiety about driving (webpage). Accessed 21 October 2026.
- Phoenix Australia. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Accessed 21 October 2026.
- Phoenix Australia. Australian Guidelines: Summary of Recommended Treatments for Adults. Effective 22 December 2021; accessed 21 October 2026.
- Transport Accident Commission (TAC). Psychology & Neuropsychology: Eligibility and what TAC will pay for. Accessed 21 October 2026.