How can I get over my anxiety or fear of driving on highways?

Just tell yourself that you can always stop if anything goes wrong. There's always a way out of a stressful situation. :)

Drive during off-peak hours — Avoid rush hour traffic if possible. That’s when highway driving is at its worst. Take along a trusted friend — Having someone you feel comfortable with in the car helps you calm down. Plus you have another pair of eyes to help keep track of things. “Sensory overload,” aka hypersensitivity anxiety, is one of the biggest complaints about highway driving, so having someone to watch your blind spots helps. Take a defensive driving class — Your anxiety may be due to a lack of good driving skills. Skillful execution of the physical mechanics of driving means more confidence in scary situations like highway merging.

I personally got over my fear of driving on highways by listening to calming music on my drive. Music always has helped calm me down ever since I was a baby, and if music is a part of your life O believe this can help you as well. Another way that helps eliminate or at least calm anxiety over any subject is repetition. Every day I have to drive on a highway to and from school. The first few times it was terrifying, but the more I did it, the more confident I became.

Driving on the road has plenty of unknowns and for some, it can be a very scary place to be. However, if safety is your worry, just practice general road rules. Go by the speed limit in the slow lane, put on your safety belt, keep your eyes on the road and breathe. As long as you are being safe, there is nothing to be afraid of. A distracted and distressed driver is more prone to an accident than one who is calm and adjusted.

I have to take medication to be able to drive on highways, take deep breaths and focus. I'm getting a camera to put on my dash to feel safer if another accident were to happen again.

If your fear of driving is mostly about panic attacks, the way to solve this problem is to learn how to better handle panic attacks. If you have panic attacks in situations other than driving, it might help to start with a situation in which your role is more passive - perhaps waiting in a long line, or walking through a crowded mall. You can then work with driving after you've made progress in the more passive role first. If your fear is more like the performance anxiety described above, you need a similar progressive practice with driving in which you can practice accepting your fearful thoughts and feelings while doing the work of driving. You can use the same techniques as the person with panic attacks, because the underlying fear, of becoming so afraid as to be unable to drive, is similar to the fear of losing control to a panic attack. The main difference in the thoughts with performance anxiety is the extent to which you worry that others are watching, and judging, you.

Pick a time when the roads aren't that busy. Stay in the right lane until you think you feel comfortable to try and switch lanes when there isn't a ton of traffic. Take deep cleansing breaths and remind yourself you are not in danger.

Trust in yourself and your ability to confidently drive safely while staying in the moment and not predicting the worst outcome.

I would recommend cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) through a psychologist. This helps to rewire how you think and react to things.

For me personally, it was just the immersion therapy approach. I hate driving on freeways or busy streets and would get panic attacks. I had a friend tag along at first and they'd keep an eye on me and try to keep my mind focused on something other then my approaching anxiety. It took some time but it helped me out.