Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Driving Related Fear—A Complex Problem with a Complex Treatment

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Advances in Human Aspects of Transportation

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 484))

Abstract

It is estimated that up to 15 % of the population have symptoms of driving phobia. Strong driving related fear affects 1 % of the population, mostly women. From 2012 until 2015 we had 40 clients with driving phobia. For most of them driving related fear manifested as a part of a more complex self-esteem problem, not as an isolated issue. We used various methods concerning the whole contexts of client’s life and the system of client’s relationships. 12 out of the 17 participants of group program and 20 out of the 23 participants of the individual programs experienced a significant decrease of the driving related fear symptoms and started to drive regularly. Based on our experience—driving related fear is rarely an isolated symptom, so it has to be treated as a part of a more complex problem. The complex approach significantly contributes to the efficacy of the therapy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Mesken, J., et al.: Frequency, determinants, and consequences of different drivers’ emotions: an on-the-road study using self-reports, (observed) behaviour, and physiology. Transp. Res. Part F: Traffic Psychol. Behav. 10, 458–475 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Taylor, J.E., Deane, F.P., Podd, J.V.: The relationship between driving anxiety and driving skill: a review of human factors and anxiety-performance theories to clarify future research needs. NZ J. Psychol. 37(1), 28–37 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Taylor, S., Koch, W.J.: Anxiety disorders due to motor vehicle accidents: nature and treatment. Clin. Psychol. Rev. 15, 721–738 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Taylor, J.E., Paki, D.P.: Wanna drive? Driving anxiety and fear in a New Zealand community sample: a pilot study. NZ J. Psychol. 37(2), 31–37 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Taylor, J.E., Alpass, F., Stephens, C., Towers, A.: Driving anxiety and fear in 55–70 year-old New Zealanders. Age Ageing 40(1), 62–66 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Ehlers, A., Hofmann, S.G., Herda, C.A., Roth, W.T.: Clinical characteristics of driving phobia. J. Anxiety Disord. 8, 323–339 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Mathew, R.J., Weinman, M.L., Semchuk, K.M., Levin, B.L.: Driving phobia in the city of Houston: a pilot study. Am. J. Psychiatry 139, 1049–1051 (1982)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Munjack, D.J.: The onset of driving phobias. J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiatry 15, 305–308 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Kurečková, V. Zámečník, P., Daňková, L.: Driving phobia treatment—experience from the Czech Republic. In: Impact Conference Proceedings (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Taylor, J.E., Deane, F.P., Podd, J.: The relationship between driving anxiety and driving skill: a review of human factors and anxiety-performance theories to clarify future research needs. NZ J. Psychol. 37(1), 28–37 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Taylor, J.E., Deane, F.P., Podd, J.V.: Determining the focus of driving fears. J. Anxiety Disord. 14, 453–470 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Blanchard, E.B., Hickling, E.J., Taylor, A.E., Loos, W.: Psychiatric morbidity associated with motor vehicle accidents. J. Nerv. Mental Dis. 183, 495–504 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Taylor, J.E., Deane, F.P.: Comparison and characteristics of motor vehicle accident (MVA) and non-MVA driving fears. J. Anxiety Disord. 3, 287–298 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Wald, J., Taylor, S.: Preliminary research on the efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy to treat driving phobia. Cyberpsychology Behav. 6, 459–465 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Lewis, E.J., Walshe, D.G.: Is video homework of benefit when patients don’t respond to virtual reality therapy for driving phobia? Cyberpsychology Behav. 8, 342 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Antony, M.M., Brown, T.A., Barlow, D.H.: Heterogeneity among specific phobia types in DSM-IV. Behav. Res. Ther. 35, 1089–1100 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. da Costa, R.T., de Carvalho, M.R., Nardi, A.E.: Virtual reality exposure therapy in the treatment of driving phobia. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa 26(1), 131–137 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Townend, M.: Cognitive therapy for driving phobia: two single case studies. Behav. Cognitive Psychother. 31(3), 369–375 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Townend, M., Grant, A.: Integrating science, practice and reflexivity—cognitive therapy with driving phobia. J. Psychiatr. Ment. Health Nurs. 13(5), 554–561 (2006). doi:10.1111/j.1365-2850.2006.00978.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. de Jongh, A., Holmshaw, M., Carswell, W., van Wijk, A.: Usefulness of a trauma-focused treatment approach for travel phobia. Clin. Psychol. Psychother. 18(2), 124–137 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Walshe, D., Lewis, E., O’Sullivan, K., Kim, S.I.: Virtually driving: are the driving environments “real enough” for exposure therapy with accident victims? An explorative study. Cyberpsychology Behav. 8(6), 532–537 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Kraft, T., Kraft, D.: Creating a virtual reality in hypnosis: a case of driving phobia. Contemp. Hypn. 21(2), 79–85 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Hill, R., Bannon-Ryder, G.: The use of hypnosis in the treatment of driving phobia. Contemp. Hypn. 22(2), 99–103 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Williamson, A.: A case of driving phobia treated with dissociative imagery. Contemp. Hypn. 21(2), 86–92 (2006). doi:10.1002/ch.294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Pallanti, S., Bernardi, S.: Neurobiology of repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of anxiety: a critical review. International clinical psychopharmacology 24(4), 163–173 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. da Costa, R.T., de Carvalho, M.R., Cantini, J., Freire, R.C., Nardi, A.E.: Demographics, clinical characteristics and quality of life of Brazilian women with driving phobia. Compr. Psychiatry 55(2), 374–379 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Ku, J.H., Jang, D.P., Lee, B.S., Lee, J.H., Kim, I.Y., Kim, S.I.: Development and validation of virtual driving simulator for the spinal injury patient. Cyberpsychology Behav. 5, 151–156 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Hatakka, M., Keskinen, E., Gregersen, N.P., Glad, A., Hemetkoski, K.: From control of the vehicle to personal self-control; broadening the perspectives to driver education. Transp. Res. Part F 5, 201–215 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This article was produced with the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports within the National Sustainability Programme I, project of Transport R&D Centre (LO1610), on the research infrastructure acquired from the Operation Programme Research and Development for Innovations (CZ.1.05/2.1.00/03.0064).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centrum Dopravního Výzkumu, v.v.i. (Transport Research Centre), Líšeňská 33a, 63600, Brno, Czech Republic

    Veronika Kurečková, Aleš Zaoral, Pavel Řezáč & Petr Zámečník

Authors
  1. Veronika Kurečková
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aleš Zaoral
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Pavel Řezáč
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Petr Zámečník
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Veronika Kurečková .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering and the Environme, University of Southampton Faculty of Engineering and the Environme, Southampton, United Kingdom

    Neville A. Stanton

  2. Purdue University , West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Steven Landry

  3. Dipartimento di Architettura, Università degli Studi “G.d’Annunzio” Chiet, Pescara, Italy

    Giuseppe Di Bucchianico

  4. Dipartimento di Architettura, Università degli Studi “G.d’Annunzio” Chiet, Pescara, Italy

    Andrea Vallicelli

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Kurečková, V., Zaoral, A., Řezáč, P., Zámečník, P. (2017). Driving Related Fear—A Complex Problem with a Complex Treatment. In: Stanton, N., Landry, S., Di Bucchianico, G., Vallicelli, A. (eds) Advances in Human Aspects of Transportation. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 484. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41682-3_24

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41682-3_24

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-41681-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-41682-3

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation