Do you drive?

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Driving is one of the things that I have taken the most flack for during my life. People have always pressured me to drive and I have just never felt comfortable. I can drive. In fact, I went to a drive school. But I have never taken the driving test. I just never feel safe on the road. I think about the most horrible things possible and my tics get worse (I have Tourette Syndrome).

This is always had to explain to people because I look and act otherwise "normal." Everything thinks that it is beyond weird that I do not drive.

Not driving used to bother me because everyone gave me such a hard time about it, but now I have come to terms with it. It is just something that I will never do.

I am 24 years old and I do not drive. I passed my written when I was 19 years old, and took driving lessons at 20. I had to complete 10 lessons in order to pass my drivers ed. I got through about half of them, and I almost killed me and my driver instructor 2 times. She would have to slam on her brakes quite a few times, so we didn't get into an accident. I had a few meltdowns in the car as well. After that I refused to drive. It's impossible for me to look around, be aware, know the controls, the brakes, the gas.It's just way to much for me. Too much overload. I either take the bus around town, or I get rides. It may make life a bit harder, but I just can't put myself through all of that stress again.

Even though most of my peers have begun to learn how to drive, I am too afraid to learn it. The margin of error is just too narrow and it just seems to be the tiniest of mistakes could result in an accident. One thing I'm very bad at is eye-hand coordination, and furthermore, I have not been good at quick thinking and making fast decisions at critical times.

I do drive, but it took me awhile to learn. It took me quite some time to not feel panicky in a car, and I still can't drive over bridges without panicking so that puts a limit on where I can go. Overall though, it's very helpful to be able to get to school and other places on my own.

I don't drive. Never had any interest in it since I don't go anywhere beyond school/work and I can get a lift or public transportation for that. Also I dislike the idea of driving a car, they just seem so needlessly big and clumsy and complicated. I don't know if I would be comfortable driving a car even if I learned how to.

However, I did entertain the idea of driving a motorbike. They're sleek and compact and I felt quite comfortable with the idea of driving one, even to the point that I looked up how to get a license. Unfortunately my parents are very much against it since they think it's not safe, especially during winter months. Also I'm moving a long way away for studies soon so if it were to break down getting it fixed would be a royal pain. I still like the idea of driving a bike but figuring out how to get a license and buy a bike on my own is way beyond me and my parents aren't about to change their minds.

I had over a year of lessons and then failed my test 1 minute in. Isn't that amazing? Needless to say, I lost all my confidence in it. I want to try lessons again one day but right now I can't afford lessons or a car. I don't know why I'm so bad at driving. I have good control of the car... I think it might be the fact there are so many other cars to watch. Hmm, I don't know.

I like public transport though, for the most part. I feel like I'm having a mini adventure when I need to get somewhere new.

I don't drive. Too much to think of, to many things to distract me. And also it seems kinda boring. So, if I am going somewhere I take a buss, or preferably train. I like the freedom of train, and it's also less noisy than taking a buss.

I feel like I could enjoy driving if I had a cool car and was driving on a deserted road. But other than that, driving isn't for me

I drive and hate driving. The anxiety I feel while driving is too much for me.

In addition to being an aspieI also have NLD/ADD i cannot safely drive. I tried. Accident everytime I was behind the wheel. It was so scary and confusing. I stopped. My parents used to tell me "Practice makes perfect" I would say ... Am I going to LIVE through practice. Are other people going to LIVE through my practice. No thank you.

I take paratransit to work and doctors as I have difficulty focusing etc... to use the crowded rushed, dangerous, multiple transfer bus system.

i go to functional neurology therapy three times per week I successfully live alone and I work fullt ime but I cannot drive a land vehicle. The main problem with a land vehicle is the other drivers. I cannot interact safely with them. If I could drive on the road all alone Id be ok.

I've been driving since 1987, I always dreamt about it as a kid.

I used to daydream, in class, about how great my life would be after I left school with my car.

It was fun for a while, not really now. I find it to be a chore, really.

Useful though.

I am NOW a good driver. However, decades ago, learning to in High School? It was bloody terrifying!! Plus, I neede glasses, so I was not seeing things in the distance clearly, so when they loomed out of the blur, they startled me. I had always had this issue wether skates/ go-karts or autos. I had a hard time processing visual info when I had to pay attention to it. I always over-compensated. Frustrated trainers just rattled me no end, also. My mother actually taught me in the end, for college. However, after 6 months that vehicle died. So no car for college ( one motorcycle for awhile, but I wrecked that!). Afterwards I bought one, only to find out it did not stay with me like bike riding did. I had to learn al over at 25 years old. In West Florida, a driver's worst nightmare! Ugghh, I still have bad memories..
Also, I have never managedto learn manual transmissions. Once one stalled on a steep hill & scared the living crap out of me. That was the end of that!
I can & do drive very well now, even very long cross-country trips but I do remember how hard it has been to get to this point!

Sincerely,
Matthew

I had not read more than 2 pages of this thread when I wrote that response, but let me add to it I can...
I absolutely HATE & DREAD driving in congested city streets. The few times I got lost were because of One-way streets in Tampa Fl. USA & Knoxville, Tenn. USA. Very confusing seein where I neede to go, but unable to get there (much like my life on the Spectrum, actually!).
Also, that canyon of interstate under Atlanta, Georgia is a nightmare!
In college, I eventually left home so I could live on campus without needing a car ( but I actually needed, also I had to escape my evil stepfather at the time). For over four years I walked, biked, or took a taxi to where I had to go. But prior to leaving for LSU Baton Rouge, I lived in Shreveport where I biked, or bummed rides from people. After my first car died. I did have my Honda motorbike but I wrecked that back in 1983.
These transportation issues also hurt my non-existant love life for awhile.

Sincerely,
Matthew

I voted No. Everyone used to pick on me about this because I CAN drive (in the sense that I passed driving tests) but don't. They pretty much gave up by now. Being able to operate a car is quite different from being able to drive safely in a big city. I'd rather live with the inconvenience of not driving than killing some people.

If we ever move to a rural area I might actually drive. I've always wanted to have a Jeep, but there's no point if I'm not driving.

I can drive but it took me 4 years of learning to finally pass my test on the 4th attempt. I then crashed my car 8 days later I don't enjoy driving. Its a way to get to work easily, Geocache and take my son places. It is better than public transport.

I never wanted to drive. Hated it with a passion. Dug my heels in for as long as I could, which was almost a decade. Wanted to throw up every time I thought about it, and had nightmares where I was at the wheel and the car was rolling down a hill and I had no idea what to do.

Then I was forced to learn, after almost getting pneumonia from riding a bike to work (took over an hour) during a frosty winter. Then I was forced to drive 3 hours from my home to my parent's place one summer because of a family crisis. Then I was forced to drive half the east coast of Australia for study reasons.

And now I love it. Adore it. It's my own personal bubble of alone-ness that feels like freedom.

I want to drive across Russia now.