Gen Z are scared of DRIVING: Car phobias are leaving youngsters terrified of basic tasks including parallel parking, hill starts, and merging onto a motorway, study finds

It's something many people do on a daily basis without thinking twice about it.

But a new survey has revealed how driving is leaving many Gen Z absolutely petrified.

Experts from Tempcover surveyed youngsters about the common motoring tasks they find the most daunting.

Changing a flat tyre was the biggest fear, while parallel parking, hill starts, and merging onto a motorway were also found to terrify hundreds of young drivers. 

The findings will come as no surprise to many Gen Z, who regularly post about their driving phobias on TikTok.  

'POV: the panic suddenly sets in when you're about to drive somewhere new and you don't know the parking situation,' @artemis_alexis said. 

@romillyjane posted a video from her car, venting: 'People always think I'm being dramatic, but this is awful. Hate it, hate it, hate it.'

And @loulroberts added: 'I've never even been close to a motorway. Even if I'm on a roundabout and one of the exits is a motorway, I get panicky.'

For the survey, the researchers enlisted 2,000 participants, who were quizzed about their views on various driving habits. 

Changing a tyre was the task Gen Z feared most, followed by jump–starting the car, and parallel parking. 

In fact, their fear is so acute that nearly half (45 per cent) of Gen Z say they'd rather drive further away and walk for 10 minutes than to even attempt parallel parking. 

Other basic tasks feared by Gen Z include filling up tyres, checking oil levels, and even using a car wash – which filled 12 per cent with dread. 

Aside from affecting driving itself, this fear is also having a tangible impact on Gen Z's employment, according to Tempcover.

More than one in 10 said they'd missed a dream job because they were too scared to drive, while 10 per cent have turned down a promotion that would require more time on the road.

'The research exposes a hidden crisis on our roads where a generation of drivers, despite being legally qualified, are finding the reality of driving so overwhelming that it is potentially life limiting,' said Jake Lambert, an expert at Tempcover.

'When motorists are turning down promotions or missing interviews because they are too anxious to drive to the location, this ceases to be just a motoring issue and becomes a broader societal one. 

'Confidence comes with experience, but if drivers are avoiding the road, they never bridge that gap.'

According to Anxiety Care UK, driving is one of the most common phobias in the UK. 

'While some people simply feel a bit nervous when they have to drive, others can barely cope with the anxiety,' the charity explains on its website. 

'But there are also people who have full-scale panic attacks at the wheel, and soon give up driving altogether because of the terror that grips them when they try to do so.'

If driving fills you with fear, thankfully there are several things you can do to overcome your worries.    

'People with phobias have become "conditioned" to produce the fear reaction in situations which aren’t really dangerous at all,' Anxiety Care UK explained. 

'The best way to counter this is by "de-conditioning": training themselves to react correctly.'

Start by sitting in the car with the engine running, before working your way up to driving a few yards up the road, parking, and walking back. 

If that feels OK, drive around the block, or take a slightly longer trip with a companion supporting you. 

Once you're feeling settled with a companion in the car, try the same trip alone, before building up to the motorway. 

'The steps can be as large or as small as necessary, and big steps can be broken down into smaller ones,' the charity aded. 

'But each step should challenge the anxiety a little more than the last.'