Driving

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Some how I feel that driving would pose a great challenge for me. I ride a bicycle and am blessed with a great bus system in my area (the routes i know by heart) but driving would be nice. I feel that the sensory overload would be to great


Anyone concur?

It seems that learning to drive is often more of a challenge to those with AS than to the typical NT person. It certainly was for me - it wasn't until I hit 28 and faced the situation of working in an area only reachable by car, that I started to took driving seriously. I went through sheer hell grasping the basics (note: try to get a patient instructor) and flunked the license test twice (easily, one of the most traumatic times of my life). Sometimes it felt like I was trying too hard too much. But after a lot of happenings and time, I finally got my license.

All in all, it took me almost a full year to get myself completely acquainted with driving. These days, it is simply second nature to me. But I can definitely understand how hard could it be for an Aspie to grab the wheel.

Oh - the struggles I went through learning to drive...... My instructor called me a "clumsy git" on many occasions (he had a delightful way with words), and the examiner grabbed the wheel off me on my third test (oh, so that's a fail then, is it?). These days though its all second nature to me except for parking..... I can't reverse park to save my life (even after 5 years driving around every day), and spent £600 last year on fixing parking damage to my paintwork....... I could fashion replacement body panels out of papier mache made from ten pound notes and it'd be still probably be cheaper.....

It took me until I was 19 before I could master driving good enough to get my liscense. The first week on my own driving I was a terribly nervous becasue of my depth perception problems. However, I was able to compensate for my visual abnormalities and now for me I don't give driving a second thought.

Thank you everyone, i am new to ths site and have been diagnsed with AS. I was just wondering if my concern made sense
Thanx

I hate to drive - but I have to do it - I get dizzy and the motion makes me sick - espcially on the highway - it is much easier for me when I am in an area that has lots of buildings around it - I guess it cuts down on the 'hurtling toward nowhere' effect the motion creates . . .

It took me a while but I eventually got driving down. I am still way overly cautious when taking turns and whatnot, but I can drive fairly well I think. My patient and calculating attitude really works to my benefit while driving. Backing up is still a problem, but I don't really have to ever parallel park so its not really an issue.

I just have to make sure I don't get distracted in my own thoughts while driving. Actually now that I have learned how to drive a manual transmission car I prefer it, it keeps me more aware of the act of driving.

Finding my way around new areas while driving is difficult, I need to focus my brain on two things so its a problem. But if I know where I am going, driving is a piece of cake.

Honestly driving is about 75% going in a straight line... and seems rather simple to me. Its that 25% that can be a problem

I didn't dribe until I was 19. At first I would make some questionable choices under pressure, but 5 years later, I feel I am a very very solid driver.

I've been in two accidents, but both were while I was stopped (other idiots hitting me!)

I was fortunate enough to have learned the art of driving at an early age. When I was little, I used to sit in my dad’s lap and steer the car. We had a vacation home in a desert community, where it wasn’t too risky to let a child drive a car. It was probably around the age of ten when I first drove all by myself. My dad let me do quite a bit of driving back then. By the time I was sixteen, driving was old hat.

Where I had trouble was learning to use a manual transmission. I had never driven a manual until I was asked to do so by an employer. I was twenty-six years old at the time and he couldn’t believe I didn’t know how to drive a stick. A co-worker had to teach me using the company vehicle. It took weeks before I became proficient enough to drive in busy traffic.

I’ve also tried to learn how to drive a motorcycle, but was never able to coordinate my feet and hands.

Being in a passenger in a car makes me nervous, due to the lack of control. Also I am prone to carsickness and get nauseous, but only when someone else is driving.

As for experiencing overload while driving, it depends on where I am going and why I am going there.
I absolutely love driving long distances. Being out on the open road and watching the scenery go by is a catharsis. The only time I get overloaded is while driving in heavy traffic, during commutes to and from work. The feeling of being crowded in and the worry of being made late is a recipe for disaster. It bothers me enough that I will only work locally, within a fifteen minute drive. I know people who commute 90-120 minutes every day, one way. That type of commute would cause my head to explode.

My Toyota features all-manual transmission (yay for old models!). I have grown so used to it that I can't imagine myself in a car with automatic transmission. Plus it makes me feel more in control.

About 90% of my daily commute to work involves an interstate highway, so that's where I'm most comfortable (plus, just 15 minutes either way!). On the other hand, I can't stand traffic jams and driving through the narrow streets of crowded cities, which somewhat limits my work choices. But I prefer that to getting sick of a 2-hour, snail-slow commute through streets full of stressing weirdos. I can get easily anxious if I can't find the exact place I am looking for, or having to deal with routes I'm not used to on a daily basis. I try to keep that under control as long as possible though.

I found when I was learning to drive (I failed my test miserably cos I panicked. Oh well) the only problem, other than nerves, was reading every sign, road sign, advert etc. Although my instructor didn't mention that I was acting dangerously I do wonder how much my attention may have been diverted from the task at hand.

Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone else automatically read everything?

Unfortunately, my town doesn't have very good public transportation. I'm 17 and I haven't driven yet. I am scared that I will get too stressed, go into overload, and panic. I do want to try it though so I think my aunt is going to take me driving later this spring so I can even see if I like it or not.

I think there are AS qualities that may help driving, though. Intense focus (well...sometimes) and our (at least my) need to follow rules could really be an advantage. I can't multitask, though, which seems to be needed to be a good driver.

I'm 28 and I still haven't learnt to drive- it just seems too scary for me. Too much to think about all at once and split-second decisions to be made (iI need some time to think things over).