Bad driving habits explained by "context blindness"

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Having been diagnosed with Aspergers 12 years ago, it seems that there still things I do that seem odd to others that I sort of suspected were due to Aspergers but couldn't quite explain how, or I thought it was just based on raw anxiety - the case in point, when I drive in stop-and-go traffic, my wife has frequently complained about how I'll slow down and speed up e.g. waiting to stop at a stop sign, instead of just following the flow of traffic and not pushing ANY pedals.

And I thought, is this an Aspergers thing??? Maybe due to deficient motor skills?? It's certainly not a social thing, save for the sheepishness brought on by a passenger who finds it odd. Might waste a bit of gas, but anyways...? Then I happened across this article on caetextia, aka "context blindness", which explains it perfectly - like many other things in life, we have clinical difficulty processing multiple relevant factors and spontaneously incorporating them into an appropriate response. So the car "jerky" situation is just another example of that. To think of all those dates I had before I met my wife, the young women in my car must have found it odd or jumped to the conclusion that I was "nervous" around them when it was just my standard response and didn't think twice about it.

In any case - here is a passage from the article...on www.caetextia.com...it spooked me when I read, I thought this is exactly what I do and get rebuked about it...

Because they don’t know instinctively that multiple factors affect any given situation, they may be nonplussed even when just two simple interacting factors require attention. We saw this clearly in the jerky way a colleague with Asperger’s syndrome would drive. Whenever he became aware that a gap between his car and the one in front was closing or widening, he responded by jamming on his brakes or speeding up inappropriately, instead of gently moderating his speed to accommodate what is, after all, a continually fluctuating situation when driving. He found it difficult to negotiate varying circumstances smoothly — other drivers changing speed, closeness to other vehicles, the curve of the road, weather conditions, etc — all of which need constant simultaneous attention.

I can negotiate traffic smoothly most of the time, except when I am distracted by something like an insect buzzing about in the car or somebody talking to me. at those times I get jerky.

Same here. I'm an OK driver, never had an accident. But when I've got a passenger and we're talking, all of the sudden it's like I'm drunk toddler who can't see over the wheel.

if we both were 'puters we'd likely have single core processors incapable of multitasking or even fluent multithreading, in addition to inadequately voluminous or fast RAM.

I'd be an abacus.

I'd be an abacus.

hopefully your operator would be a good smart kind person

Since I'm ostensibly the operator, I can say that I am at times good, at times kind, and at times smart, but never all three at the same time. I'd settle for good and kind and stupid, really. Or even just to be an actual abacus. If only I were a weird wooden necklace-thing made for counting.

then you would want to hope for a kind wearer.

I like dogs. Maybe a dog could wear abacus-jewellery-me? I love dogs.

but a dog could not use you for calculation. all he could do is drool on you, get dirt on you and maybe give you his fleas.

Uh that sounds awesome and I want it to happen now.

I'm not sure if this is the same thing, but...

I don't drive. I did learn when I was a teenager (I hated it) but I never passed the test. I don't think I would be able to process information fast enough to drive safely, for example to position the car sensibly in congestion (I have enough trouble positioning my body sensibly in crowds ), to successfully negotiate complex junctions and so forth. I believe that I would go to pieces if there were outside factors stressing me out, such as noise from road works or, especially, other drivers acting aggressively towards me).

I don't think there is anything particular wrong with my hand/eye co-ordination but I think I'd lack the "common sense" and the ability to multi-task that a safe driver should have.

Maybe I would learn the skills. I didn't feel as though I was picking them up when I had driving lessons unfortunately and I absolutely hated the experience.

THIS. I totally get this, when my wife (or any other passenger) is talking to me, especially if it's something that emotionally bothers me, I'll have a much harder time driving - to the point where I have to cease the discussion and tell her that I'd like to wait till we're out of the car to continue it.

Even when I'm thinking of a response to something she said, I will unconsciously slow down and she will have to bring it to my attention so I maintain a "normal" rate of speed while responding to her.

I noticed as early as childhood that my parents would fluidly converse with me while they were driving and I always thought, wow, that's tough, I wonder if I'll be able to do that too?? it's almost like I sensed that my inherent challenges were based on a lifelong disorder, not just some phase or temporary perception.

I drive pretty good on freeways and in small towns but put me in a larger city where you've got street lights, and stop signs, and people crossing the street, and oncoming drivers, rain drops on the windows, leaves fluttering past, the animal running across the street, and just so much to keep track of at once, and I go into a panic.

If anyone is in the car with me they have to stop talking (can't talk to me or the other passengers) unless the talking is specifically to help me to get where I need to get.

Having the radio is fine on the freeway but heaven forbid that I have it playing while in the city. Too much to process already without adding the radio to it. It's music on the freeway but incredibly distracting noise when in the city.

I spoke on my cell phone once while driving through a city (this was before it was illegal) and I ran two red lights. Never again, even it was still legal, because it just adds one more dimension of craziness to keep track of while driving.

Etc.

"Executive Dysfunction" and "mental processing speed" play into this. Too much to process at once.

Troubles with "theory of mind" can play a big role as well because you have to able to know what the other driver(s) is thinking so that you can be ready for their move (but troubles with "theory of mind" keeps one from being able to know what the other driver is thinking.

I was always taught that I "have to drive everyone else's car as well as my own" meaning I have to know what they're going to do so that I can be ready.

I'm pretty good at that (I'm 50 years old now so I've got lots and lots of practice) but the other, having to process so many things at once, really gets me (I end up in melt-downs and panic attacks), it's something that is worsening as I get older rather than getting better with practice.

Thank you OP for providing the link that you did!

driving smoothly doesn't necessarily mean you're a safe driver and vice versa (although smoother drivers generally tend to be safer (more following distance = less likelihood of rear-ending the person in front of you).

however, it's really uncomfortable to be in the car with a driver who doesn't drive smoothly. I generally drive smoothly.

Also, the car matters. I have a heavy car with a v12 engine so acceleration is much smoother. if you drive a light 4 or 6 cylinder engine car, the experience is inherently less smooth (especially for acceleration, but braking too)