Aspergers and Driving

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I guess I’d be a pretty good driver if it weren’t for other people interfering.

I can’t tolerate anyone behind me – the closer they get the worse, and that goes for any situation (not just for driving).
I live in Scandinavia, where the roads are covered in ice and snow most of the time, and that doesn't make it any easier.

There are virtually no traffic lights where I live, but ridiculously many roundabouts. As I’m not very good at estimating distance and speed, it’s hard for me to draw the line (Can I still get in or should I wait?) …

What I like is being a passenger - with a driver I trust, that is. That can really calm me down (if the driver is so kind as not to speak to me).

I think at this point I'm a fairly good driver. However, I am a really slow learner. I still have my permit and it took me ages to get to a competent driving level. My driving instructor was so worried because I was learning slower than other kids. I already felt weird enough about getting my license later than usual. I still have trouble with depth perception and I struggled with cutting the wheel. My dad yells at me a lot when we drive in a narrow lane. It's frustrating. Also I have to multitask so much and it's so draining.

I don't know how to answer this question. I am good at knowing my abilities and staying within them. Each area of the US has its own driving norms. I was a great driver in Oregon where people obey the speed limit, let people in, and most roads are 2 lanes. I struggled in eastern Massachusetts where driving is like a game of chicken. The prevailing wisdom seemed to be go where you want and let other drivers avoid you. I was a road hazard in southern California where everyone drives at least 15 miles over the speed limit, nobody lets anyone in and through roads are 6 lanes or more. Busy 6 lane roads cause sensory overload.

I'm 25, never got a driver's license and likely never will as I live in a small town and take public transit to work and anywhere else I need to go.

I was a car nut in my teens, and dad let me practice on our farm driveway at age 15, after driving tractors, etc. After two weeks, he noticed that all the gravel had shifted over on the turn, and told me to stop. At 16 + 2 weeks, I got my chauffeur's licence, driving stick shift on ice. I've steered out of a couple of accidents and driven taxi. I've also gone decades not owning a car, but bicycling everywhere. I also did some epic cross-country trips. Fifteen years ago, I switched from sporty driving to maximum economy style, which is just as much fun.
One time, I'd let my license lapse, but was with a group that wanted more drivers available, so three of us were rounded up and sent out with a qualified driver to practice. When it was my turn, I pulled out onto a busy street with some snow, and the instructor told me to turn left and practice parallel parking on a side street. There was a lot of oncoming traffic, and I didn't want to block a lane just for that, so I went to the next street, where the situation was the same. The instructor got impatient then, and I saw that if I hurried, there was time to make the third turn without stopping. I had to control a minor slide through the turn, and then did a quick reverse into a single parking spot. "OK, Next" said the instructor.

I'm usually a law-abiding driver, though I've screwed up plenty of times and I can't drive on the interstate because I don't trust my reflexes at that speed. The social aspect of driving, which I never thought was a thing, is also something I struggle with. One time I had to sit through three red lights because even with my turn signal on nobody would let me turn. Everybody behind me drove on the shoulder of the road past me and flipped me off. What should I have done, just start turning even though there's an unbroken line of cars in the way? People seem a lot meaner when they drive than they are in person. I wonder if it's because you usually can't see the person behind the wheel and it's harder to empathize because of that?

At this point I feel like it is pretty late to learn but it's really hard in life not being able to. The driving out here is nuts, they drive so fast and aggressive in this part of the country and there is just so many more people that I am used to. I think I could maybe learn in a slower area but I don't know, I don't have confidence with myself but I think I am going to have to force myself to try eventually. Sensory stuff is a big concern, I'm worried about freezing up or getting distracted and making the wrong decision. I knew of somebody that died in accident just the other month before Christmas, it's scary!

I was 25 when I got my driving license. It was for recreational use to visit parks and museums.

I got my license at 18, and I know people who got theirs at 30.

My classmates were disappointed because due to cutoff date BS I'm almost a year older than most kids in my class and they expected me to be one of the first to get my license.

I didn't get my license until I was 37.

I drive cautiously, but not too cautiously. I stay well behind cars on the highway--especially when it's raining.

People get really stupid sometimes---they honk at you just as the light turns green!

I live in Queens, NYC, which is not like Manhattan at all. Manhattan driving is its own animal. I've adjusted to Manhattan driving, though.

i dont drive it because i have fear of dying in a accident, since my reflex are slow.

I would say I'm an okay driver. I follow all the rules, but I am often slow to react in situations. I did pass my road test on my first attempt. I really don't like driving though and prefer to be the passenger whenever possible.

I never realized driving was a possible issue in the autistic community. Im a good driver but also enjoy it. Its one of the few things that calms me and clears my mind.
I was surprised to encounter other Aspergians who, if they bothered to get a license, still hated driving and did so as little as possible. Many don’t like the visual and physical multitasking and accounting for the unexpected stupidity of other drivers. For me driving was fluid and second nature

I didn't own a vehicle for eleven years, but I kept a driver's licence just in case I needed a rental car or a moving truck.

Greatest peeve about driving: I'm on a country road going slow wanting to drive with no one around and someone behind me is going faster.

Greatest advantage about driving: Freedom and wide open spaces.