AS and driving?

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I get frazzled and stressed out in heavy traffic. I can manage it, but it is an overstimulation that ruins my day. I need lots of "quiet" to get myself re-ordered. I don't know what I'd do if I had to deal with that every morning on the way to work.

Thankfully, I live in the country and work mostly at home.

I love driving on country roads, especially at night when no one is around. I really can't stand it when I have someone behind me, same as when I am walking. I feel like I can't go at my own pace and enjoy the scenery or my own thoughts.

My husband and I will sometimes go on "driving dates", where we just drive along scenic roads and chat. (He does the driving.) My autistic uncle used to ask to "go on a ride". There's something very soothing about being in a car. However, if I am not driving myself or actively in a conversation, I fall asleep quickly no matter how rested I am.

when google makes a thingie I can plug into my car to make it self-driving, I'd be first in line to get one installed.

I love driving!! ! One of the few things I excel at.

Here are a couple of video's of my very recent trips through the Rockies while towing a 4 season travel trailer with a turbo diesel van:

Full Screen in HD works best!!

Driving in the Rockies with a travel trailer.


Messing with the exhaust brake on the van while rolling through the Rockies..


Taking the van places I shouldn't... No trailer


Outback driving Canadian styles in the Kootenay's in BC. No trailer.


Driving the little Honda Civic 5spd.


Backing up the van and trailer into a tight parking space. Like a Bawssssss!


Yeah.. some of us can drive.. some of us are even really good at it!

Driving is so stressful!
And I'm super slow and cautious
Only one minor incident so far when my mind was full of sensory distractions

I don't drive. I have spatial awareness and coordination issues. I tried driving before with my mom and got into a really bad accident. Me and my mom could have gotten killed. Now my mom and dad are terrified of me trying to drive again. They don't even want to think about the thought of me driving again. I tell them that I'm fully capable, but they still won't teach me again. They won't even let me in the driver's seat anymore. I tell them that a lot of people with Asperger's drive and that just because I have AS doesn't mean I can't drive. They just don't think its safe for me to drive. I live in a small town in Mississippi in the middle of nowhere(not close to any stores, gas stations, etc.) where you need to know how to drive to get anywhere. I live on a country road. It's a gravel road. A lot of big trucks just fly by and my parents are afraid I won't know how to react in a dangerous driving situation. There's no driving schools or instructors in my area. So, basically I depend on someone else to go anywhere.

Similar speeds to how I sometimes drive:

Nice videos! Such beautiful scenery. I gotta post some of my own.

100 mph on an empty freeway. Not the safest thing, but at least it shows how capable we can be. I also know how to control my speed based on conditions. I am so much more focused at high speeds and it's a German car, so it's very smooth and easy.


A nice evening Sunday cruise home while passing a lot of Sunday drivers. I wanted to take a particular route so I went against GPS directions and she wouldn't shut up. I still needed her to tell me where to exit eventually since the route was fairly new to me. Otherwise, I am capable of navigating on my own. Not like anyone will watch the whole thing.


Nice fast drive on a weekend with light traffic on a scenic freeway. Too bad I met with standstill traffic after the video ends due to an accident. Look at the skill involved in passing roadblocks in the left lane to finally hit an empty road.


Beautiful drive on a winding canyon road where I was shifting the gears myself in manual mode. Would have been fun if I wasn't meeting slow drivers along the way.