Polish your skills:

Regardless of whether or not you are new to driving honing your skills and getting some practice under a watchful eye can be helpful. Most driving schools offer refresher and defensive driving courses, taking such a course can help you better understand your vehicle and the rules of the road. The practical supervised road time will also help to build needed confidence.

One thing to remember when you have to leave your comfort zone, is a great movie quote from The Edge; as Anthony Hopkins put it. “What one man can do another can do.” Obviously the word man can be interchanged with person, and have a strong message to anyone. It is true too; anyone with sound mind and body can drive a car well.

Beating a panic attack:

Depending on the situation stopping for a break may not be possible or advisable, but there is something you to fight driving fear while still in your car. Monitor and control your breathing rate. Sounds simple but it can be deceptively challenging. The best way to learn is to practice a bit at home in a calm situation beforehand. However before we get into the how, lets cover the why.

Hyperventilating can have several suppressing effects on the mind and should be avoided whenever possible. While I could go on about the deleterious effects at length, it is best to simply summarize that the levels of Oxygen in the brain can drop, leading to in the worst case “fainting”; clearly something you want to avoid on the road.

Breath slowly in through your mouth and out through your mouth, practice at home for about ten minutes at a time several times a week and in no time you will be able to relax on queue. It helps to visualize a calming centering place (real or imagined) while you practice at home, just remember to focus on the road while your driving.

Safe travels.