Do you have trouble driving?

Post Reply New Topic

I didn’t seem to do it too badly, but I failed to renew my licence when I couldn’t get a psychiatrist to certify I was sane enough to drive. Now, with no prospect of ever having a car of my own, it seems pointless and massively wasteful to try to get a licence again.

I'm a driving fool. I have never gotten in an accident that I caused, and I have avoided accidents because I am constantly scanning my surroundings. I also have a perfect driving record because I'm also scanning for cops.

I have really bad spatial ability, can't judge distances or speed, not entirely sure if I'm in my lane, or going to hit parked cars or not... Scarily enough, I used to try to drive, but we can all be thankful I gave it up years ago!

im a great driver unless someone distracting is in the passenger seat

I can't drive. I suffer dyspraxia and have not the ability to handle so much visual/physical occurrences at the same time.

O hai necrothread. In case OP is still here and has 50-80 thousand USD burning a hole in their pocket, Volvo quite neatly solved this in a beautiful 400HP package. I'll be holding out for the station wagon models though.

@InsomniaGrl: You'll be wanting something sporty in no time then. Luxury, grand touring or rally cars are good bets in the UK. Feeding my car money is pretty painless considering the laughs I get out of the power & suspension. Up next; reinforced steering endlinks, skidplate, mudguards, quick shifter kit, faster engine management software, bigger exhaust, then onto cylinder head, forged pistons & garnish with a Borg/Warner K16 turbo upgrade. Sure the self-driving ones are fast nifty hybrids, but my Volvo shall EAT Priuses!

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

Poor motor cordination combined with poor ability to multitask makes me dangourous driver so I do not do it. Even though I passed the driving test and received a license a I gave it up after too many close calls. Not bieng able to drive is a major disadvantage in most of America. It puts you out of reach of the majoity of jobs and makes what is an easy commute for most arduous. It is similar to autism as outside of the major cities
you are second class citizens, not understood and disrespected. When there budget cuts to be made mass transportation is always the funding that gets cut first and the most. Politicians know we have to use it know matter how bad the service is, we are a minority and often do not live in the politicians district.

Wreck Gar, I suffer from the same thing. I've got my driver's license approx. 1 year ago (I'm 35) and I am still driving with a "green leaf" on my window pane (obligatory for new drivers), which makes the other drivers give me some slack or, if they aren't so forgiving, try to take advantage. I drive in the city and rarely go outside, where I fear to go anything faster than 80 kmph; in fact, I never drove above 90. I am learning though. For years I had problems with learning to drive due to strong anxiety, and I finally passed my exam when I found a good teacher at the course. He said that actually, I can drive pretty well, the problem is that I'm afraid. And he started to adress the problem, telling me how the other drivers see me when I drive. It clicked then - the other cars aren't huge intimidating randomly moving machines, they are actually people in metal suits and they see me and interpret my behavior on the road quite well. Once I got this, and learned to interpret their behavior as well, my anxiety dropped to a manageable level. In the city I am already quite good. In a few years I will be able to go on a freeway without the stress it causes to me now.
Also, the most curious thing: I really had problems coordinating attention and multitasking at the road, but once I did a huuuge number of driving hours, and my anxiety dropped, suddenly I could do that. The change wasn't gradual; it was as if I completed something and gained a level. People say they feel safe with me driving.
So, sometimes all it takes is a good teacher. (also good GPS if you don't know the road, it is useful to know in advance where to turn).
But please try only when you have a less stressful time in your life.

In my case, it is not driving fast that makes me anxious, but driving in a city with a lot of traffic. I have to give all my energy to paying attention to everything that is on the roads. Driving on a highway/freeway (in Dutch autosnelwegen) is the easiest part of driving, IMO.

In the Netherlands there are various types of roads:
- districts with very small roads: 5 km/h - 3 MPH;
- woonerven (districts with roads but with many houses, playing children, many obstacles): 30 km/h - 20 MPH;
- streets and roads in cities, villages, etc.: 50 km/h - 30 MPH;
- 60 km-wegen: 60 km/h - 40 MPH;
- roads between cities: 80 km/h - 50 MPH;
- autowegen: 100 km/h - 60 MPH;
- autosnelwegen (freeways): 130 km/h - 80 MPH.

BTW, with no other traffic I dare to drive extremely fast (in German Autobahnen): 160 km/h - 100 MPH.

Driving in small districts and woonerven are the hardest. You have to drive slowly, and look out very well.

I'm 24 and I don't know how to drive. I tried to learn, but I wrecked the car that my parents bought for me... That scared me badly, and now, whenever I think about driving, I feel very anxious...

Some Aspies have no problem driving, but I do. It took me until I was 30 to bother to learn. That's not so much of a problem here in the UK as it would be in the States. I was dyspraxic growing up, late learning most things requiring co-ordination. I never realised how hard it was till I tried, simultaneously tracking so many other people on the roads while knowing exactly where your hands and feet are. Ordinary people seem to think it's easy, they talk or listen to music at the same time. The same normal people that find maths, languauges or learning musical instruments difficult, things that are relatively easy for me. My wife knows I'll agree to anything if she asks me while I'm driving.

But I've been driving for 30 years since then with no accidents and a clean licence, which is the bottom line I suppose.

---------------

Author of 'At Home Abroad'
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1507565372

I can't drive in cities. That is, I know how to drive in one city in particular, and only in PARTS of that city, but just thinking about driving elsewhere in that city (or any other city) makes my palms sweat. Changing lanes is especially scary, and I rarely overtake unless it's a tractor or something that drives very slowly. If my husband drives and decides to overtake a car, I grab hold of whatever's closest, tense my whole body and hold my breath until we're past.

I drive with confidence here in the countryside and driving is calming to me, I suppose the vibrations (bumpy roads!) are soothing. But if there's road work and something has changed, I get anxious about driving the wrong way. Lots of lanes, signs, other cars, lights, cones etc makes me confused and desorientated.

I got my licence at 18, have never had an accident or any tickets. I'm known for being a little pedantic about the traffic rules, though I do speed at times, but not very much above speed limit. It should also be said that I drive a tractor on the farm, and have the licence to drive a fork lift truck ...

I have trouble driving - driving slow!

i always assume i'm going to scrape the right side of the car if i move over merely an inch. it looks so close.

that incident at grandma's really got inside me.

About driving in cities, I actually can drive in any city, but I must put all my focus to the traffic. If there is someone besides me in the car, I cannot have a conversation (until I am on a road outside the city or on the highway).

The hardest parts are crossings without priority regulations (marked by road signs and marks) and crossings with traffic lights where more than one stream get the green light. Then the priority (marked by road signs and marks or general rules) apply. If there is a lot of traffic, this will make driving very difficult. Just having two eyes seems not to be enough.

In the city where I live there are a lot of such crossings. This can also be hard if you are not driving, but if you are biking instead. Then you have to watch out as well.

I didn't get my license until 1998--at age 37.

I'm a rather cautious driver--too cautious for my wife's taste.

I think I'm an okay driver, though.

I don't do well when it's raining/snowing, and it's dark.