Asperger's and Driving

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10 Sep 2016, 2:40 am

Living out in the countryside here in the UK makes driving easier. I do drive into the local town but only ever to go to the same car park on the edge and then back. My commute to work is also via quiet villages. Could never drive to a big town I don't know!

Chronos
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10 Sep 2016, 3:37 am

Chichikov wrote:

It's more likely to be related to your gender

Actually there's not really anything funny about that comment. It's not original, or witty and does not contribute anything positive to the OP, who is probably already down enough about her difficulties, and could probably use a confidence boost, not the burden of a negative stereotype saddled on her.

Chronos
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10 Sep 2016, 3:43 am

higgie wrote:

Hi, gang. Has anybody here found Asperger's Syndrome to be a hindrance in learning to drive? I passed the written test, but during driving lessons I couldn't make fast judgments, perceive distances between my car and others, and I was terribly anxious throughout. Whenever I got to an intersection it took me so long to figure out who had the right of way that my instructor had to tell me. (I understood it on paper but in real life I couldn't think of it fast enough.)

I also found driving unbearably boring, so boring that one day the combination of stress and boredom caused me to black out at the wheel. That's right -- I actually fainted for a second. The instructor had to hit the brake. I failed the road test three times and finally gave up on the whole thing. I was too afraid of causing an accident and of becoming a target of road rage. (I have a very hard time with being shouted at.) I felt I just didn't belong out on the road with other drivers. All through this whole thing, I never knew I had AS. I wasn't diagnosed until 2010.

It no longer matters because I can't afford a car anyway. It's sad, though, because I would've liked to become more independent and have greater mobility.

Do you think my lousy driving was related to my having AS? Has anybody else had this problem? Please discuss. Thanks.

Higgie

There is something similar to AS called non verbal learning disorder (NVLD) and those with this disorder often have slow visual processing speed, difficulty with reading analog clocks, difficulty reading sheet music, difficulty determining quantity without counting, difficulty gauging depth, and with similar tasks. It's not impossible for these individuals to drive, but they may have to put more effort into paying attention and processing the visual information from their environment.

Because you don't seem to particularly like driving, visual issues aside, you might just consider moving to a city with good public transportation, like New York, someday. I believe driverless cars, however, may become common place in your lifetime.

b9
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10 Sep 2016, 4:13 am

Quote:

Asperger's and Driving

i can drive.
here is me going to town (part 1)

and here is part 2.

auntblabby
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10 Sep 2016, 4:26 am

complex traffic is off-limits to me.

north404
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10 Sep 2016, 8:42 am

I enjoy driving highways when I'm in the car by myself. I usually jam out to music I'm driving by myself so it makes "long" trips bearable and fun. The problem is (socially anyway) I only prefer to do this alone and I can't stand driving with other people in the car.

I don't really sing and relax in that sense elsewhere - not even when I'm home alone - so personally, car rides by myself is a valuable time haha.

Also, I hate local roads; I feel like there's too much to focus on there, if that makes any sense lol

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10 Sep 2016, 8:56 pm

I'm an excellent driver

BitterCoffee
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11 Sep 2016, 6:41 pm

I had zero interest in driving and only got my licenses because it was something my therapist suggested doing. I found the DMV tests to be confusing; wasnt sure exactly what was being asked.

Dr.Pepper
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11 Sep 2016, 8:02 pm

Even driving has social rules. I heard recently that posted speed limits are "suggested" speeds. The person was an NT. I'm beginning to think it may be the way NTs approach rules in general.

auntblabby
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11 Sep 2016, 8:07 pm

I must be one of the few aspies who hates speed limits

Exuvian
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11 Sep 2016, 9:52 pm

auntblabby wrote:

I must be one of the few aspies who hates speed limits

I don't like that they're so imprecisely applied. They call it a speed limit because you're not supposed to exceed the posted number.
However, going even slightly below it frequently elicits disdain from others, while going significantly above it is expected in some situations (frequently in highway driving).

I guess writing, "somebody drove this speed here. It seemed to work ok for them" is a little wordy to put under the number though.

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11 Sep 2016, 9:58 pm

Exuvian wrote:

auntblabby wrote:

I must be one of the few aspies who hates speed limits

in theory they're supposed to set speed limits to the 85th percentile of what people would consider prudent, but in actual practice they are set at below this level in order to raise more revenue.

green0star
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12 Sep 2016, 7:03 am

Chichikov wrote:

It's more likely to be related to your gender

Surely their "gender" depends on how they identify to the outside world. You mean biological sex right?

Anyway, I don't drive and its mostly because I'm too apathetic and indifferent to take the test. Most of that probably stems from how expensive I found out the test is. I think the written test is $70 to take it and I'm not even sure I can pass ... I don't know about you guys but $70 is a lot to throw away if you don't pass.

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12 Sep 2016, 7:49 am

I have horrible anxiety when driving and find that my decision-making skills hinder my ability to make decisions about what to do in traffic and around other drivers. That may or may not be related to my Autism.

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kraftiekortie
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12 Sep 2016, 7:53 am

It would be VERY difficult for me to drive in the UK, especially in cities--until I get used to it after a couple of weeks. The roads tend to be very narrow in cities, and tend to be very curvy as well.

I would have to just follow other cars for a while, and make use of the roundabouts should I get lost.

Especially in cities, driving in the UK is VERY different from driving in the US.

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12 Sep 2016, 9:22 am

I love driving. It's something that I never had any interest in but when, through necessity, I eventually took lessons I found it to be incredibly easy. For me driving is like taking part in a video game, I keep expecting to wake up in bed, discover that I'm still nine years old and that I've simply been dreaming because it's all far too easy to be real.

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