Congratulations if you have decided to take your fear of driving head on by taking control of your car. It is true that the best way to get rid of driving fear is to face it, but hold on. Before you commit some common mistakes that others of your kind do, be warned of them. Else you may never take up driving again if you meet up with some scary incident.

First Mistake: Testing Rather Than Practicing: Your aim is to get better at driving, not perfect. If you get better with each passing day of practice, you will eventually become perfect. Avoid the temptation to test your progress directly on freeways or bridges ahead of schedule.

Testing causes anxiety, stress and the possibility of failure, in which case your driving phobia will worsen. You don't want to risk that. The sensible way to go is one step at a time.

Second Mistake: Practicing in Traffic: Even regular drivers find it difficult to cope with the stress and anxiety of driving in moderate to heavy traffic. Do plan your practice session in the traffic, but schedule it for later. Now is the time to take it easy and in steps.

Practice in no traffic or light traffic. There is no reason why you would want to make it more difficult for you by practicing on busy roads. Pick a quiet road to practice on every day. If there is no such place, pick a good time to practice when the traffic is minimal.

Third Mistake: Not Relaxing Your Body: Not letting go of tension and strain from your body is a mistake because only a relaxed body can lead to a relaxed mind. Whenever you notice some driving anxiety building up, relax your body one part at a time.

Relaxation techniques are to be applied preventatively. Do not wait until it is too late. Relax at every traffic signal and even as you drive to avoid a panic or anxiety attack. Practice relaxation techniques often even at home to gain expertise over them for quick results.

If you avoid these mistakes there is no reason why you shouldn't drive away to freedom from fear and anxiety. Take it in sessions and pat yourself after each one. This will reprogram your subconscious mind and make you feel peaceful and happy about driving.

To learn more about how to overcome fear of driving phobia, check out Cecil Kelly's articles on driving anxiety on his website.