Skoda’s new campaign combats amaxophobia, the fear of driving

Skoda fights fear of driving with a campaign that features horror films excerpts

Taking a different approach to its traditional campaign, Skoda and Proximity Barcelona launched an initiative to raise awareness about amaxophobia and help people overcome it.

Amaxophobia is a fear of driving. The campaign was launched together with Mamma Team production and PHD Media Spain.

The project kicked off with an audiovisual that uses codes of horror films which aims to raise awareness of this fear.

About 30% of Spanish drivers suffer from anxiety and 7% of them feel so much panic that it makes it impossible for them to drive.

Together with CEA Foundation (European Automobile Commission), the brand offers psychological support and free practice sessions to drivers in Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Bilbao with a limited number of enrollments starting in November.

The campaign was aptly times to coincide with Halloween. This lesser known fear often leads to people having paralyzing and uncontrollable fear when they drive.

While almost 30% of drivers in Spain admit feeling fear or anxiety while driving and, in some cases, avoid driving on certain roads or in certain situations, 7% of drivers feel a much more extreme fear which essentially results in the inability to sit behind the wheel.

It can cause those affected to abandon driving completely.

The symptoms are clear. Most of the time the phobia manifests itself in a panic attack while you are driving, in the perception of lack of control, or repeated negative thoughts about driving.

On a physical level, it manifests with sweating, tachycardia, tremors, stomachaches, or muscular exhaustion.

To raise awareness about the existence of this disorder, ŠKODA and Proximity Barcelona launched an advertisement in the vein of a horror movie along with the Mamma Team production company, under the direction of Galder, and in collaboration with the media agency PHD Media España.

The advertisement, which is broadcast in cinemas, TV and online, is just the kick-off of an initiative that, in addition to raising awareness about the problem, aims to help detect new cases, promote the conversation under the hashtag #VenceALaAmaxofobia (#DefeatAmaxophobia), and provide solutions to combat the fear that those who suffer from amaxophobia feel.

In order to do this the brand has joined the CEA Foundation of the European Automobile Commission, who specialize in dealing with cases of amaxophobia, among other things.

The initiative has a website (www.skodacontralaamaxofobia.es) where users can find more information about this phobia, learn about the main symptoms, and even ask for help to overcome it through courses that include therapy with psychologists, and closed-circuit practical sessions to recover a sense of safety and self-confidence behind the wheel.

As stated by the CEA Foundation, “to overcome amaxophobia, it is necessary for those affected to become aware of how it affects them, and practice emotional regulation strategies at the wheel via exposure techniques in order to effectively address their fears.”

There will be four free courses with limited enrollment in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Seville, all taught by professionals of the CEA Foundation, psychologists, and other experts.

According to Daniel Barro, Communications Director of ŠKODA, “this initiative wants to help those who are unable to drive because of this phobia.

We want all drivers to be able to enjoy the sensation of driving as well as the daily experiences that come with being in a car, as reflected in our brand positioning:

What’s the point of having a car if it’s not to enjoy it?

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