So what if I don't drive!

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A lot of people give me a lot of crap because I don't drive. Here are reasons why I don't drive: 1. I have "sensory overload" which is a part of my autism as I would go from a mild mannered person to a monster when things go wrong in an instant. 2. It's a waste of time, gas, and money in the long term. 3 Even though I'm overweight, I like to walk and look around in the world. YES, EVEN I CAN GET EXCERISE. I hope you guys understand even if you disagree.

I've thought about making a thread like this many times. Those are my exact thoughts on this issue.

Yes I don't drive for the same reasons and I have had it with people asking why I do not have a car.

Oh dear, my friends and I have all turned 17 and there's so much going on about driving tests and driving lessons and whatnot... I've elected not to take any, I'm just waiting for the onslaught.

Yeah, it's nobody's business if you drive or not. As long as the person who doesn't drive doesn't expect to be driven around by people and doesn't ask other people unles there's an emergency and helps pay for gas it's really nobody's business if they drive or not. I don't drive but I make sure that I'm independent and use the bus. I don't expect to get rides from people and if I end up getting a ride because they insist I insist on paying them for gas money.

I don't drive either, and I will never drive. It wouldn't be safe at all, both for me and everybody else!

I just tell people I can't drive and I am happy to use public transport. I live in a city so it isn't much of a problem. I wouldn't be as fit if I had a car and it keeps my carbon footprint low which gives me something to feel smug about.

<----- Drives cars well. Golf balls? Not so much.

I don't expect a ride anyway as a matter of fact I usually turn down offers to get rides unless it's a family member or my friends. Yes, I do pay for gas so I'm not a freeloader!

I wish I could drive but I tried to learn 3 times and totally sucked at it. I couldn't deal with all the inputs at once. (i didnt know i was autistic for any of the 3 attempts). I'm sure if I tried hard enough I could pass the road test but I doubt I would ever be a good driver...

I now accept that I well never drive. Good thing I moved to Toronto 12 years ago, we have a good transit system (most of the ti

I do drive and have had decades of watching other idiots on the road, who can't park, cut me up on the freeway, can't indicate, can't drive in a straight line, don't indicate, go through red lights. I bet all of those were NTs too.

I get stressed out when I'm behind the wheel, not because of sensory issues, but because of getting angry at inconsiderate drivers. Especially those who park their cars diagonally across multiple spaces in a busy parking lot at the mall.
Having said that. I don't want to turn this into a thread about highway anger management, and I'm not particularly inviting people to come up with their experiences of idiots on the road ( I sense a new thread coming up ).

Without a car, it depends on where you are in the World though. If you're in a city with good transport links then I guess that would help.
I couldn't imagine being without a car though, it gives me so much sense of freedom.

Many on this thread have already said they rely on public transport, and are lucky enough to have a half-decent bus or train system.
Although I drive, I commute to work by bus/train. But even though I'm not behind the wheel, passengers do things that make my blood boil, like sit in the aisle seat in a packed bus and put their bags on the window seat ; Mr/Mrs "two seats". I do enjoy making a bit of a scene out of it when that happens. Usually on departure from the bus or train, other passengers nod at me as if to say "good on you man".

So those who take public transport or drive, it is just just sensory issues, or do other people around you really annoy you too?
For those with sensory overload issues, do you find noise-cancelling headphones any good?

Last edited by Chris71 on 05 Jun 2012, 2:45 pm, edited 4 times in total.

I'm 39 and don't drive. I get around just fine on foot and on publc transport. My reasons are very similar to the OP's. I see absolutely everything and it's hard to eliminate the irrelevant, so it's very stressful. The thing is, I think I'd probably make a better driver than some who are driving around. They appear to be clueless about their inadequacies; I'm not willing to take chances with anyone else's life, like they seem to. I get comments from people saying I should learn, as it's so handy (maybe even essential ). Even if there was an emergency, I'd know how to call for a taxi or an ambulance. Driving a heart attack victim, etc to hospital is not a good idea anyway. I'm pretty sure my in-laws just think I'm lazy and like my husband to drive me around, even though he never takes me anywhere, unless he's going too (not that I ask, he would if I did). I don't even like being offered lifts and will thank the driver, but tell them I'm enjoying the fresh air. I like my independence and don't want anyone to feel sorry for me or feel like they're doing me a favour, which I don't actually need.

I think I was psychologically bullied into getting a car and license, I always knew it was a bad idea and waste of money. I failed driver's ed in high school and retook the written test two or three more times before passing when I was 22, then I had to pay for my own driving lessons because no one had the patience or skill to teach me, I don't know how I passed the road test on my first try - I think the tester just wanted to get rid of me. I was pressured into buying a car right away (my brothers had their first cars given to them, but I had to buy mine - double standard) I think someone picked it out for me. With a whole lot of practice I was able to drive it a couple blocks to work. I did this for several years without ever gaining enough confidence to go any further, I could not even take it to the gas station due to loads of sensory issues that my family thought were imagined. When I had to move to a new location I let my license expire, I sold my car and never drove again. I wish I had back all the money I had to spend on the car, repairs and gas. It is a miracle I didn't cause an accident. I had severe night blindness, took all my energy not to space out, had trouble figuring out what lane I was supposed to be in and what traffic light I was supposed to look at, had no sense of where I was in proportion to things around me, had trouble reaching the pedals and seeing over the hood (I'm very short) and compensated for my sheer terror by shutting off my emotions it was awful.

Last edited by Washi on 05 Jun 2012, 2:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

If it wasn't for the fact that I can't use to bus to take my cats to the vet I doubt I would ever have learned to drive. It's way too much sensory input, even if it is slightly more convenient.

I don't drive, never will drive, it just won't be safe. I sometimes take public transit because there's no way to get from point A to point B without it at times (I also can't take cabs, they're worse than public transit, and can't take some buses.) I have major issues with the sensory issues on public transit.

However, yes, other people around me really bother me a lot, even beyond the sensory issues. The most stereotypical of my meltdowns in my memory was on a bus because when I was trying to avoid the sensory issues, people started treating me terribly. For both minimizing sensory issues and avoiding people, I've found on buses its absolutely worth getting those seats that are meant to be for disabled people that are rarely taken seriously.

As for noise cancelling headphones, I've not tried them, though I'm curious too. Earplugs do help, and actually sometimes lead to people taking me more seriously. My face mask absolutely helps, and is the difference between being able to take the bus and not at times. Bringing stim toys with me helps. Even getting the reduced fare pass helps, because along with getting reduced fares, it means the bus driver knows I'm disabled.

As for getting rides, I'll feel very guilty getting a ride from someone unless its from a few specific people. Sometimes I need to though, because buses don't go everywhere, and sometimes the buses are things I just can't reasonably do.

I don't want to drive because I have such an obsession with my favourite bus company (not FirstGroup) and I like to get their buses because it makes me feel good inside, which is also important. But in this world, you can't let your obsessions take over your life. I get criticised about that, more than anything else.

I know if I got myself a few years experiences with driving I can soon become a bus-driver, but I can't seem to get motivated, and anyway I'm scared to drive in case I crash. It's not always the way you drive, it's how other people drive. Just today somebody overtook my bus on a very fast road and it was about two seconds away from crashing into another car that was coming the opposite way, so my bus had to quickly slow down for this car to get back onto the left (in front of the bus), otherwise there would have been a horrible smash-up, and the innocent person in the car coming the opposite way would have been hurt or killed, even though he was driving carefully.

My parents keep insisting that I go and have driving lessons, despite me telling them it would be too expensive and that I would still just walk or cycle everywhere anyway.

Since everything I need is within a 30 minute walking distance I really don't see why spending an extortionate amount of money on lessons, a car, tests, insurance and petrol is really necessary.