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

There are multiple ways of overcoming this anxiety. First off though, if you do not feel comfortable driving on highways please have someone else drive until you become comfortable. Anxiety and driving can be a dangerous pair. But you could always watch others drive on the highway and take what you learn from them and apply it to your driving. You could try driving small trips. Possibly one exit to another exit to get used to getting on and off the highway.

My mother had a similar fear. I asked her to give some thought as to what aspect of motorways specifically gave her anxiety and she replied that it was the high speed. The fact that the vehicles are all travelling in the same direction makes the relative speed very low. Once she felt safe enough to match her speed on the slip road to that of the traffic on the motorway, she found merging quite easy. The slow relative speed of everyone else's movements helps you plan ahead for slower traffic and anticipate earlier what action you need to take in terms of lane changes or exits. Confidence came to her in practice having braved her initial fear but now she and my father enjoy trips away all over the country. She is happy to take the motorway at her own pace in the slowermost lane and travels hundreds of miles.

You can get over the fear by being brave and courageous, because if you are afraid that you will be in a car accident, you will never be, this is because alcoholic and crazy people make car accidents on highways but not sane people like you :)

It's helpful to drive with people you trust or learn to drive yourself so you hold the power. It's a necessary evil but by showing yourself that it's safe over and over the anxiety can be decreased.

I wouldn't advise in forcing yourself to drive on highways if you don't want to but you could try driving on them late at night when its very quiet so you can get used to the roads and perhaps build yourself up to busier times on the road.

I love this question! I too am trying to get over a fear/phobia. I have been told to slowly face that fear. Maybe in your case this means being a passenger on the highway first with a friend. If that is not an issue, then move on to driving with that that friend as passenger for maybe 5 minutes at a time. Try the on ramp then the next off ramp. The more you do this, stepping it up a little more each time, the fear/phobia should reduce and hopefully, eventually, pass altogether.

Use breathing techniques to calm down, psychological studies suggest you'll begin to associate driving with being calm if you do this repeatedly :)

Practice. Getting over a fear or anxiety inducing situation takes practice on many levels. Practicing your breathing and mindfulness exercises is a great first step. If you practice these and get really good at them during the good times it will become second nature to implement them when you are in a stressful situation. You may never be completely comfortable when you drive on highways but as you practice being calm and mindful, it will hopefully become easier for you.

Everyone gets afraid but sometimes you have to be strong.Think about the reason why you are afraid and try to change your perspectives.Believe in yourself,think positive :)

Know the rules of the road. Make sure you have learned all the safety procedures of safe driving before you head out onto the road. Make sure there is not something else causing you serious anxiety because that will effect your performance in all areas of life. Practice in small increments or steps. As silly as it sounds, try going for a walk or jog first then work your way up to driving. Drive on low traffic roads first, then highways. You could also try a small vehicle like a four-wheeler (ATV) or a lawnmower.