The Impact of Driving Anxiety on Performance: Dr. Adam Asmal Shares His Research

In this episode, Kev and Tracey are joined by Dr Adam Asmal, a human factors researcher whose personal story inspired his groundbreaking PhD on the impact of driving anxiety on performance and skills. Adam shares insights from his unique research and highlights practical takeaways for anxious drivers.

We chat about:

• The difference between driving anxiety, fear, and phobia—and why getting clear matters
• How anxious thoughts (like catastrophising) can impact your driving experience and performance
• Research-backed hope: why your driving skills are usually much better than you think, even if you’re nervous

While listening to this episode, ask yourself:

• How do your own thoughts impact the way you feel when you drive?
• What are your most common “slip errors” or moments of hesitation behind the wheel?
• If anxiety wasn’t holding you back, in what ways would confident driving change your life?

Listen in to discover why driving anxiety doesn’t mean you lack skill—and get inspired by the latest research for building your driving confidence!

Adam Asmal PhD

Adam Asmal is a Human Factors researcher and consultant with expertise in driving behaviour, anxiety, and performance. He recently completed his PhD on the impact of driving anxiety, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how psychology and human factors intersect on the road. With experience as a Research Assistant on projects for the UK Department of Transport, Adam has also applied his skills to issues such as fatigue in the maritime industry. Beyond his technical strengths he is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Would you like to feature in a future Q&A podcast? Do you have a story that others might relate to? You can record a question about driving nerves or confidence that you would like us to answer on our Speak Pipe page. If you have a question, then there are likely to be others with the same or similar question so ask away and let's start helping more people to build their driving confidence! https://www.speakpipe.com/TheDrivingConfidencePodcast

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