Autism and driving

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In my driving life, I've been called everything, a good driver, a bad driver, and never, a backseat driver.

I question, do you drive? Do you drive good/bad?

I recently video taped my driving, and I ask, do I drive good? I have power under the hood of this car and I know it takes a good driver to NOT unleash it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5oUeNKQZtM

That's me, my car, and my driving..

Usually I drive pretty good, though I have made errors. Usually not catastrophic errors though.

i drive better then most nt,s who seem to be fashinadet by drifting,speeding and stuff just waiting to get laugth when they lose a license

I do drive. I'm no better or worse than anyone else.

I drive, on the highway (snelweg) I think I drive better than most; my car always fits in a tight spot when needed and always keep track of cars and motor cycles around me. In busy city centers I am not that good (I drive only on rare occasions in city centers). In living areas I am really careful with children and drive nicely.

I drive just the same as anyone else in Red Deer, Alberta.....LIKE A REDNECK!!

But seriously, Im not too bad.I drive just the same as anyone else,...Ive seen NTs who were worse drivers than any aspie.

Good driving is defensive driving. But that means one must "get into the heads" of other drivers. I can see a difficulty here for low functioning autistic folk. It might even be a difficulty for aspies. It took me several decades and close calls before I became a solid defensive driver.

ruveyn

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCpAPw7GXYw[/youtube]


a vid I found..someone driving in Red Deer, Alberta

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=967K7SvXc2A[/youtube]

this highway goes through red deer.

I'm a pretty good driver, but that's because I'm a p**** on the road and don't get creative very often- I just drive.

Anyone else have problems with parallel parking? That is something I simply cannot do properly.

Other than that, I'm fine when I'm on the road.

i live in new york city where i don't have to drive which, i guess, is a good thing since the thought of driving scares me. my hand-eye coordination is pretty bad.

I drive decently, but I do have trouble deciding when it's time to go; too many variables to check.

Also, if the road I'm driving on isn't busy enough to keep my attention, and I'm familiar with the road, I can hyperfocus and drive VERY dangerously (off the road, in the wrong lane, etc.). Fortunately, I've never been in an accident.

I also have a problem with driving being such an unforgiving mode of travel. I have a hard time remembering any kind of directions or recognizing places I've been, I just don't pay attention to that stuff. I'm just annoyed that, sometimes, if I take one wrong turn, it means driving for another hour or two to try to get back on track/not lost. There are two towns that are relatively the same distance from my home in different directions; I once became so lost that I had somehow found my way to the other town before I could find my way home.

Essentially (with the = being my route):

....==============
...//..............................\\
Town A......Home====Town B

my friends still hold that one over me now and then

I'm an okay driver, for someone who's only been driving since March of this year. I don't like backing out of places, I can't paralel park, and can't park between two cars :)

As for long distance driving, though, I space way out. I get really tired, too. I've had to pull over to power-nap.

I've been observing my parents drive for years that driving just came naturally to me. I drive an old-but-well-kept '97 Ford Explorer SUV 200 miles each weekend on the highway connecting my hometown to Charlotte and I know the road and backroads like the back of my hand. Why bother with this trip? I don't like staying in one place for too long, so driving is my escape.
My only weakness is parallel parking in a limited space.