Autism and driving

Page 1 of 2 [ 23 posts ] Go to page 1, 2 Next

Joined: 5 Apr 2016
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,415
Location: blah

07 Oct 2018, 6:50 am

Not sure whether or not there's a topic for this already. But over the past month and a half I have finally taking steps to learn how to drive. It seems I am capable but even though my instructor feels I'm on point my parents feel that I still don't pay attention enough. My mom did make a comparison saying that I don't pay attention to stuff around the house and said from that that I wasn't capable of driving and she didn't think I'd be able to do it. That and the fact that my parents don't really have coverage for me(since I only have a permit) is probably the reason I'm not getting much practice though sometime this month I should be able to get my license.

Anyone here able to drive or not able to? Are you capable or your parents feel you're not?

Prometheus18
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 18 Aug 2018
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,866

07 Oct 2018, 7:11 am

I took lessons for six months or so on a manual car (everyone drives manuals in this country, more or less), and just could not get it.

When I get a little money, I plan to resume my driving lessons, but on an automatic.

Purpledragon
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 19 May 2018
Age: 50
Gender: Female
Posts: 46

07 Oct 2018, 7:31 am

I would say that there is a big difference in paying attention to stuff around the house and driving. Good luck!

green0star
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 5 Apr 2016
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,415
Location: blah

07 Oct 2018, 8:21 am

Purpledragon wrote:

I would say that there is a big difference in paying attention to stuff around the house and driving. Good luck!

Well that's what my driving instructor said ... xD She wanted to bring one of them along(mom or dad) for them to see that I'm capable of driving. But somehow my mom theorized that she invited one of them along to see that I "talk too much, and am autistic thus I don't pay attention as much as I should". I guess they have no choice but to see it through since they are old and we're stuck out in the country.

When I mentioned it to my boyfriend, he feels that they really don't want me to drive deep down. They know I need to but at the same time they don't really want to so that's a thing o_o

harry12345
Deinonychus

Joined: 26 Nov 2016
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Posts: 316

07 Oct 2018, 8:34 am

green0star wrote:

Not sure whether or not there's a topic for this already. But over the past month and a half I have finally taking steps to learn how to drive. It seems I am capable but even though my instructor feels I'm on point my parents feel that I still don't pay attention enough. My mom did make a comparison saying that I don't pay attention to stuff around the house and said from that that I wasn't capable of driving and she didn't think I'd be able to do it. That and the fact that my parents don't really have coverage for me(since I only have a permit) is probably the reason I'm not getting much practice though sometime this month I should be able to get my license.

Anyone here able to drive or not able to? Are you capable or your parents feel you're not?

[for some reason quotes don't bold, so these are below for emphasis]
my parents feel that I still don't pay attention enough
and said from that that I wasn't capable of driving
she didn't think I'd be able to do it

What your parents THINK about your driving is neither here or there. There are only three people who can truthfully say if you are any good or not. The instructor, the examiner and most importantly yourself.

Dear_one
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 2 Feb 2008
Age: 76
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,721
Location: Where the Great Plains meet the Northern Pines

07 Oct 2018, 12:27 pm

Yes, this topic has been done to death just about once a month.

brightonpete
Deinonychus

Joined: 7 Oct 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 302

07 Oct 2018, 9:41 pm

First post here. Hi everyone.

I have been driving for years now & I find it calms me down, but there are a lot of crazy drivers out there. I love to drive and have no issues concentrating on it. I just try to be courteous so there aren’t any road rage incidnts! Phone is buried in a pocket, and I usually ignore it if calls on me.

I first tried standard, but could not get the hang of it either, so it has been automatic ever since.

SaveFerris
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 3 Sep 2016
Gender: Male
Posts: 14,762
Location: UK

07 Oct 2018, 9:46 pm

Your instructor is the best judge of your driving abilities not your folks.

_________________
R Tape loading error, 0:1

Hypocrisy is the greatest luxury. Raise the double standard

Arganger
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 30 Apr 2018
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,707
Location: Colorado

07 Oct 2018, 9:54 pm

green0star wrote:

I have a permit and seem to be doing mostly okay, though I get distracted sometimes.
I do not trust myself to drive when I am over stimulated or tired, and neither does anyone else.
My mom supports me driving because she is sick of driving me places.

_________________
Diagnosed autistic level 2, ODD, anxiety, dyspraxic, essential tremors, depression (Doubted), CAPD, hyper mobility syndrome
Suspected; PTSD (Treated, as my counselor did notice), possible PCOS, PMDD, Learning disabilities (Sure of it, unknown what they are), possibly something wrong with immune system (Sick about as much as I'm not) Possible EDS- hyper mobility type (Will be getting tested, suggested by doctor) dysautonomia

xatrix26
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 7 Oct 2017
Age: 50
Gender: Male
Posts: 614
Location: Canada

07 Oct 2018, 10:30 pm

I drive but only at great cost. I'm lucky that I only have to drive mostly at night because I'm a night shift worker because there are far fewer people on the roads and a lot less to be distracted by. I can get monumentally frustrated and extremely angry at other drivers due to them not following the law or paying attention to other drivers like me.

Driving isn't something I would recommend for all Autistics even other Aspies for that matter because there are just far too many ways one can be distracted and dust get into an accident and be hurt.

The only other saving grace for you might be living in a small town and thus driving wouldn't carry so many distractions.

_________________
*** High Functioning Autism - Asperger's Syndrome ***

ADHD, OCD, and PTSD.

Keep calm and stim away.

Heat844
Snowy Owl

Joined: 1 Jul 2018
Age: 48
Gender: Male
Posts: 126
Location: South Florida

07 Oct 2018, 11:01 pm

I had my permit when I was a teenager. Seeing accidents(in person and on the news) and being involved in a couple, made me squeamish about driving. I'm also worried that I'll fixate on something along the road while I'm driving and lose concentration on the road and crash. I just did the substance abuse course and have to somehow prod my self to get down to the DMV to get my permit. One motivator for me is my parents are getting older and I'd to be able to drive them around, and so would they.

Prometheus18 wrote:

My sister is one of the weird Americans who prefers a stick shift (aka manual). I'm not a race car driver or a truck driver and I don't live in the mountains, so I don't see why I need a stick shift. I'd be open to the paddle type manual shift though. But I guess only supercars have that

.

@xatrix26: Around here, Most of the really bad fatal accidents happen overnight(between 11PM and 6am), so I would feel safer during they day when there are too many cars on the road for speeding, which is the cause of most fatalities, be it from street racing or drunk driving.

_________________
Democrats Create Mobs, Republicans Create Jobs

Aniihya
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 29 Jan 2015
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 771

08 Oct 2018, 11:25 am

Prometheus18 wrote:

How do you not get it? It is five or six gears and reverse. It also takes practice and memorization.

Magna
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 21 Jun 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,932

08 Oct 2018, 12:04 pm

Manual transmissions are rarely available in the used market in the U.S. and new, unless a person buys a high performance sports car or certain models of pick up trucks, they're non existent. I loved driving cars with manual transmissions. I found it actually helped me to focus more on driving since I was working the machine with both arms and both legs.

Anytime I'm driving a steady speed on a highway/freeway, I always either set the cruise control at EXACTLY the speed limit, or if they're a group of speeders travelling in a pack around me, I'll reduce my speed to five MPH below the speed limit to let them all continue on in their pack. I don't "run with the pack" in my life and I don't while driving either.

Prometheus18
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 18 Aug 2018
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,866

08 Oct 2018, 12:59 pm

Aniihya wrote:

Prometheus18 wrote:

How do you not get it? It is five or six gears and reverse. It also takes practice and memorization.

I get it conceptually, it's the nuances of precise procedures like reverse parking I can't quite manage, on a practical level. I can drive manual car functionally, I would say, but to pass the test, more or less perfection is required, which at £60 for a two hour lesson, I can't afford to acquire.

xatrix26
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 7 Oct 2017
Age: 50
Gender: Male
Posts: 614
Location: Canada

09 Oct 2018, 4:17 am

Heat844 wrote:

@xatrix26: Around here, Most of the really bad fatal accidents happen overnight(between 11PM and 6am), so I would feel safer during they day when there are too many cars on the road for speeding, which is the cause of most fatalities, be it from street racing or drunk driving.

Unfortunately, the laws of probability dictate how many accidents occur within any given day and since there are more cars during the day on the roads than there are at night it would seem to suggest that your best chance is to do your driving in the late evening and very early morning. Autistics in general aren't too comfortable with too many people around as well so this would help your situation too.

_________________
*** High Functioning Autism - Asperger's Syndrome ***

ADHD, OCD, and PTSD.

Keep calm and stim away.

graceksjp
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 17 Aug 2018
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,719
Location: Down the rabbit hole

10 Oct 2018, 2:58 pm

Mmm well I have a bit of a complicated relationship with driving. I like driving because I like the feeling of a moving car and music, to me that’s really calming. So I can drive and have my license. I got it at 16 like normal. However I am not actually a very good driver, even worse at parking, and I get really anxious because I always feel like something terrible is about to happen because there’s just so many things that can go wrong. I don’t often drive-only when I need to-and I’m not allowed to drive very far especially on the highway. I get lost in my head a lot which is very bad behind the wheel and I’m also extremely directionally challenged.
So I hate it and love it at the same time.

_________________
*404 Error: Inspirational quote not found*

Page 1 of 2 [ 23 posts ] Go to page 1, 2 Next

Jump to:

Autism and driving Post Reply New Topic

Autism and driving