driving

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greetings all,

sometimes while driving i get become very anxious, almost to the point of attack. there have been many times that i would have to pull over and regroup. between the brightness of the sun, the sound of traffic, the fact that i see very well out of my peripheral vision makes for stimulus overload. i never turn the radio on, just adds to the fun.

my main objective is to get from point a to b as quickly and safely as possible. driving in new places other then the "normal" routes is really difficult.

does anyone else deal with this?

with peace,

JanusOne

I always had to shut out other road noise by keeping my windows all rolled up at all times -- I found it very distracting to drive with windows down and all the noises flooding in. I also kept my visors down at the top of the windshield, to minimize the light of the sky bothering my eyes, even on a cloudy day. Visor flaps down, windows up. It also helps to wear sunglasses (in the day, not at night) unless it's so dull or a dark day outside that it impairs your vision.

I did have my radio on at times, but quietly as I cannot drive with loud music playing -- it seems to take all my ability away, ability to focus, to see, to operate the car. I couldn't have music on when navigating a tricky roadway or one that is new to me. I could tolerate it only when on a familiar and quiet route I could almost drive in my sleep. I also couldn't chat properly and drive at the same time, but then it was rare that I had a passenger.

I keep my visors always down too,
also driving along trees while the suns is shining through them makes me very dizzy.

thank you for sharing,

i keep visors down as well and wear sunglasses. a couple months ago, we went to Memphis to get a puppy. it was a 7 hours drive in which i was the passenger the way there. the puppy was too much for me to handle holding so i drove all the way home! me driving 7 hours without loosing it. thank god for rescue remedy!! i was exhausted mentally and physically for about a week....

with peace,

JanusOne

I don't drive for reasons like this, the traffic here is nuts

it sucks since everything is far as hell away from each other here and just as hot

i live in the city so everything is close. i do find that i have trouble most generally even driving an hour. my folks are that distance. i see them once a year.... they don't understand what a freeway to me is like. we do chat on phone once a week.... which is usually enough!! lol

with peace,

JanusOne

I have a hard time driving, but it's a spatial thing for me. I can't tell where the car is in space, where the edges are and how to make it go where I want it to. Everyone says I'd get used to it if I drove more, but what am I supposed to do? Hit things until I learn where the car is?

I live in a city where I don't need to drive.

I've always had trouble being in the car, even if I wasn't the driver. My anxiety was often worse when I was the driver. I tended to drive like an old lady. I would almost never venture onto unfamiliar roads unless I had someone else navigating.

I like driving, in theory, but in practice it tends to be very stressful and overstimulating. The vibrations, acceleration/deceleration, extreme temperatures, smells, etc. tend to bother me. I actually haven't driven much in the last few years.

Absolutely relate. I can only drive places I've driven before and even then it makes me anxious. Then again though sometimes I want to drive to get rid of my panic as it distracts me, kinda weird. Worse thing is the amount of parked cars... They are everywhere and people just drive around them even with oncoming traffic as there is no end to them. I have real problems with the spacial awareness of my car as to whether I can get through or not though I presumed that was normal?

I will probably never be able to drive, not just because of anxiety, but because of executive function issues and spatial issues as well. I probably won't be able to pass a driver's test anyway. And if I could have a driving instructor that yelled at me because that would cause me to panic and make mistakes. I went go-karting last night and one of the staff members was shouting instructions at me when parking and it actually made it worse.

I can honestly say this is one of the area's I'm most disabled in, but I don't need to drive where I live anyway. If I HAD to move to a city with little public transit, unless I had someone who could drive me or everything was in walking distance of my house, I would have to make sure there was some sort of transportation for people with disabilities.

People say I drive like a maniac yet have never caused an accident. I usually listen to online radio making use of my 1000 watt car subwoofer. I have been driving for 8 years now. I prefer to drive at night and do 170 kmh on the autobahn when there are no speed limits.

That sounds like you've noted every aspect of driving that troubles many on the spectrum, and said the opposite.

Yes. I can drive but new ways might make me anxious

Note that German roadways have denser traffic than in the US. I think the problems depend on the environment and tolerance levels.

I live in a busy city so driving for me is hell. Sometimes I get help from my mom or someone else, if I can get a ride. Definitely only driving in daylight and wearing sunglasses helps. I've been in enough car accidents. I can't always handle music or a passenger talking so I have sometimes asked people to be quiet. I go through neighborhoods and avoid busy streets if I can, and prefer to avoid peak hours. I honk the horn a lot and pray that I get home safely.

I don't have spatial issues whatsoever, but I'm hypersensitive to light and sound, so I wear sunglasses and keep the radio off. Driving seems to be a talent for me, and a few people have commented that I'm the most careful driver they've seen. The only time I really have trouble is when I'm driving to some place I've never been before and the anxiety sets in, which causes me to panic.