There are many things that can strike fear in motorists out on the road but it turns out drivers are most afraid of other drivers.
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A recent survey of more than 2000 Australian drivers by finder.com.au revealed that 58 per cent were fearful of other drivers being reckless.
The survey found the biggest fear for 27 per cent of drivers was running over a pedestrian, while a quarter of those surveyed were most scared of driving in bad weather.
Hitting an animal, as well as the financial impact of a car accident were both high up on the list, both coming in at 20 per cent.
Rounding out the list of fears were receiving a traffic fine, driving next to a truck, having to reverse or parallel park and teaching someone how to drive.
Three per cent of those surveyed listed "other" as their list of fears, which included the car catching on fire, tailgaters and other drivers using high beams.
The survey also found that more than 80 per cent of all drivers had some kind of reservation when they're on the road.
Finder's car insurance expert Bessie Hassan said the findings of the survey were not surprising.
"Previous research shows that 70 per cent of drivers participate in risky behaviours like texting behind the wheel, so it's a rational fear," she said.
Peter Khoury from the NRMA said the behaviour of other drivers on the road was always a concern among motorists.
"It's about control. There's no way that people can tell if other drivers are texting behind the wheel or drink driving," he said.
"We think that we are better drivers than others, but the risks are out there, and you only have to look at the current road toll."
Mr Khoury said a big risk factor for drivers was using a mobile phone while driving.
"Increasingly, what we're seeing is people using phones illegally, so these are things we know are more of a risk, and if we address them ourselves, we should see the roads become safer," he said.
The survey also found that men were more likely to have no specific driving fears. Twenty-four per cent of men listed no driving phobia compared to 8 per cent of women.
While women were more likely to list driving in bad weather than men, 21 per cent of males feared getting a fine compared to 16 per cent of females.
Generation Y drivers were found to be the most fearful behind the wheel, with 91 per cent having a driving-based phobia, compared to 82 per cent of those in Generation X and 77 per cent of Baby Boomers.
"Young drivers are the most inexperienced on the road, so you would expect there to be some level of angst because there's not that much driving time up their sleeve," Mr Khoury said.
