Driving, and Learning to Drive

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The way I learned to drive was a trifle unusual. When I was 11 or 12, my younger brother and I got in the pickup to go out to the field with my father. Instead of getting in the driver's seat, he had me get in the drivers' seat, explained the clutch, brake, gas pedal, and shift pattern to me, and then climbed in the back of the pickup.

Due to money, I didn't learn to drive until I was 23 or 24. Took one of those classes where you pay a few hundred bucks and they drive you around in a car and you learn the rules, then drive in certain areas. It helped a lot, I was a little iffy at first and super nervous, but had no problems passing my drivers test.

3 months later I had to go from Ohio driving to Atlanta, GA driving and that was super stressful at first - longest drive for me was 45 minutes on a two-lane highway. Driving to Atlanta was a 7-8 hour drive ending up on a 6 lane highway.

I was a super careful driver at first, very passive, but after a few months or so got used to the way Atlanta people drive and now love driving.

When I was young I thought I would be really good at driving and for some reason was right, never gotten into an accident or anything. Have learned to let go of mistakes while driving and have fun driving on the open road and predicting what cars are going to do (they're pretty predictable here - newer Jeeps are always crazy drivers here, soccer moms are always the ones that almost hit into me, etc.).

Now I couldn't stand being unable to drive - whenever my car has issues and I can't drive for a few days, I get stir crazy. Like the idea that if I want to go somewhere, I can do it anytime I want just about.

I started learning to drive in parking lots when I was 11. I did not manage to pass my drivers test until I was 20. I moved to a rural area where I had more time between traffic scenarios to avoid overload. After 6 months I learned enough to pass my driving test. A year after that, I could handle heavy downtown city traffic.
Go cart tracks helped most with situational awareness. Long drives on the highway helped with speed control.

I got the hang of it eventually (at age 31). I found the lessons difficult because I'm not great at following rules or instructions if I don't understand the reason behind the rule / instruction, and my teacher wasn't a fan of answering "why?" questions
I found it quite difficult to respond to the verbal directions of the teacher on getting into particular lanes, turning left at the next intersection, etc.
If you have similar issues, I'd suggest asking the teacher to tell you at the start of the lesson where you'll be driving to that lesson; if you going to be practicing a particular skill, like lane changes, to give you plenty of warning, so you know why your changing lane (is it because they want you to turn soon, or is it just lane change practice?); etc.
Occasionally my teacher would say at the start of a lesson "take me to _______ ", or "drive us to your home" at the end, leaving me to decide the exact route, which I found helped a lot for anxiety levels.

when everyone else was getting their license at 16, i felt the pressure to get it so i tried and failed a few times to get my learners, but i finally got it at 24. i do get anxious when i drive especially when i haven't been behind the wheel in a while. i haven't driven in a long time because i don't have my own car so its hard for me to go out at times because its to late for me to walk anywhere.

i keep thinking that if i had access to a car on a regally basis and was able to go for a drive to get out of the house then i probably would be less anxious when driving and i'll be more independent because i would be able to go get a job that wasn't in the town i live in. i feel closed in without having a car.

Study: Drivers With Autism Just As Good As Other Motorists

I love the physical act of driving and the absorption needed to drive a difficult road.
Just hate having to share with all the other traffic!

Seriously, though, it gets easier with practice (because once you've experienced enough situations that the reaction to them becomes automatic it's not like multitasking anymore), so stick with it.

I have been driving since I was 16 and probably have racked up a million miles so far. When compared to others, I have to concentrate on driving to a greater degree than others. I avoid distractions such as cell phones or GPS systems talking at me. Also no side conversations with anyone in the car. Although I do like to listen to music when I drive. I always follow the rule, one car length distance between me and the car ahead for every 10 mile per hour of speed. It gives me the reaction time to avoid accidents. I also practice defensive driving by being 360 degree aware of everything around me at all times. I also like to drive a stick shift, because I feel it gives me better control.

All in all, I suspect I am a much better driver than most people on the road. I had a couple accidents over 50 years ago when I was a young teenage but none ever since.

I did find learning to drive quite hard, mostly because I got shook up every time I made a mistake. After I passed my test, and went driving on my own for the first time, I found that there were roadworks blocking my planned route. I had to stop and mentally recalculate where I was going to go, and by the time I got home, I was really nervous. For the rest of my time driving that car, I never really felt confident and tended to stick to the routes I knew.

A year ago (after sticking to public transport for several years), I got a new job that required me to start driving again. Once again, I was nervous, but I found myself settling into it really quickly, maybe because I had further to go and was spending more time on the road. Nowadays, I enjoy driving far more than I did the first time round. I've even become confident enough to use the motorway (when I was originally too scared) and drive to unfamiliar places (though I always check the route carefully beforehand and use a satnav for backup).

I don't see the point of getting my own licence. I would love to -- but my reaction speed is just too slow, and I have to grapple with problems with executive functioning. If you live in a place with good public transit connectivity, there wouldn't be much of a point for you either.

Half an hour on GTA V is all you need, surely?

That can't be right. There are at least two women as well; myself and the one who lives next door; and I had a whole flock of sheep grazing my lawn a while back after they had escaped from a nearby field. It's pretty crowded really.