Aspies:Have you learned to drive yet?

Post Reply New Topic

Is it more difficult for us?


I have to get an A in summer school to get driver's ed, anyways, but what your experience?

Yeah. I know how to drive. It was a little tough, but I'm not sure if it would've been easier if I was NT.

I know how to drive, and I do so very successfully and safely. I do not know if I had a more difficult time than other as I did a home based drivers ed course (I was too involved in band, speech team, academic team) to do a classroom course.

Personally I had trouble with judging distances, it took a while to figure out how far a way to start braking, what distance to leave when stopped, what distance to leave between cars when driving at different speeds (glad I learned in a small town because now I live in a large metroplex and the vast majority of cars drive too close to each other), and how to gauge the lane markers in the window of the car to figure out if I was in my lane or not. (These are the things that took years to get right, even thought I had my license at 16).

If you are patient and can get your parent/gaurdain (cannot figure out how to spell that word) to let you drive at every opportunity when you have your learners permit you should do fine. Just remember that other drivers will not obey the rules, but that does not mean you should break them too, rather learn to expect other people to drive poorly (figuring out what bad driving things others do takes time, but be aware that the other cars will break the rules).

Keep in mind you only need a license for roads open to public traffic. Unless there is a local ordinance against it, you can get some practice on how a car handles on private property without a permit.

Also, don't get into a pissing contest with your peers about what age you got your license/permit or how long (or how many times) it took you to pass your driver's test. Those things don't determine how good of a driver you will become.

i drive okay but have a terrible time parking. even my sweet husband makes fun of my parking.

Got my licence on my 17th birthday (the earliest possible age where I was living at the time).

Proof positive that being a depressed and anxious 17 year old then-undiagnosed Aspie is (or was) no barrier to getting a licence.

I've been driving since I was 17.

Got my license like a month before 19 years old, but learners permit I had since 17 years old. Driving was pretty hard for me, getting a feel of the pedals, car distances and all that stuff, it took me a long time to learn comparatively, now I know due to my NVLD and visual spatial problems that it comes with. Back then I didn't really care about my diagnosis, so yeah. But, I learned... No tickets yet, only been pulled over once (for screeching my tires in a manual car I wasn't used to the clutch engagement of yet.) One accident, in the snow in my mom's old Taurus.

I have to say, driving stresses me out a great deal. I kinda learned to drive by sheer determination, and I got my license pretty much by the grace of God, since I was so anxious I messed up a few times during the test. My main problems are navigation, I'm a HORRIBLE navigator, and getting to any new place is a huge challenge to me. My next problem is passengers. Having passengers in the car makes me more anxious, as in the back of my mind I know if I crash or whatever, they'll get hurt. But also, it's just overwhelming, especially if they're talking, want the radio volume different than me, or blocking my rear window or whatever. But especially the talking, there were times I had to drive my sister around and I just intentionally turned the radio full blast to drown out their talking, douche move, but I had to do it to...keep driving. A lot of times, too, if it's really stressful driving, I'll have to drink coffee before or during driving, too.

But, I still drive, because I have to and all. That and I have a weird paradox. Cars and racing is a special interest of mine, and I actually really enjoy driving recreationally if it's on a quiet backroad or something like that. For me, when I'm mad or can't handle what's going on around me, I'll drive around like that, just on backroads and whatnot, to relieve some stress, but it was a lot more stress relieving in a manual car. For the most part, oddly besides parking I found manuals easier to drive, because I can predict how the car's going to move, as I'm controlling it, whereas an auto you can't control the car as much. I especially hate my mom's Ford Five-Hundred because it's got a CVT, thus no set gear ratios, ugh. Some people might be overwhelmed by the multitasking a manual takes, which is fair, but I found the control of the car to outweigh the multitasking problem, that and I'd say a manual is better for a new driver, as you can't talk on the phone, eat a bag of chips, etc. So I'm quite weird, I'd love to drive around aimlessly all day through nice country roads, but I HATE driving to like, actually go somewhere.

I've been driving since almost two years ago, and I haven't totaled my dad's car yet. That's an achievement.

Driving itself never caused me any trouble but i avoid huge cities since finding my way in an unfamiliar big city is beyond my skills.

I've been driving for about 34 years. I learned when I was about 19. I wasn't in a hurry to learn, as I was kind of scared of being in control of a car going at driving speed. I took longer going through the behind the wheel part of the school course, too. I was too scared and nervous to drive at the proper speed for a while. I was a little late graduating, as I fell behind about a year during a four year stint at a special school. Also, my birthday comes at the end of the school year, so between that and losing a year, I turned nineteen before I got my license. I've been driving ever since, except when my cars and wallet were broke at the same time. When that happened I sometimes took a bus, sometimes got rides from relatives, and occasionally road my bike to work. Which alternative used depended on where work was.

Word of advice. Once you have a car, take it to an empty or near empty lot to practice driving it. I suggest trying an industrial park parking lot on a Sunday. Mall lots are patrolled by security vehicles, even when the malls are closed. They may want to stop you and ask what you are doing. You could try a mall lot if you check to see that the security guys are not on that side of the mall before you drive around there.

Anyway, good luck with learning to drive! It's nice to be able to get around on your own!

I dont have a license yet but my stepdad sometimes lets me drive to Lowes for when we are getting wood and other materials for the houses we work on, and its obvious i dont know what im doing. The people at Lowes are used to my driving by now, they are pretty nice about it even though i almost crash into everything and i have a really hard time easing onto both the brakes and the gas lol

I don't have a license. Terrified of the thought of driving. Once I was in a go-kart and kept crashing, so the person running made me leave the go-kart. Even in driving video games I crash into the first corner. I'm not sure about driving. Is there any way to prepare for driving.

It took me a few tries to get the hang of it, but I find it rather easy.

No, and because I'm English, I won't learn until I'm at least 17. I wasn;t sure if I wanted to learn, but now I do, just to prove to everyone that i can, and so I can get to faraway places like out of town. Hopefully by the age of 18 I'll be able to drive.

I can drive just fine, but I'm so far unable to pass my test because I start panicking as soon as the examiner gets in the car (Note to all soon-to-be drivers: screaming obscenities at the examiner is not generally the best way to convince them that you are deserving of a license).