Problems Driving

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Anyone else have problems driving?

I've been putting off my license for months now. I put off practising, too. I am scared! My sister and her husband are getting irritated by it, because I can't drive, and stuff. I have a friend coming soon, and if I don't pass my driving test this week, I'll be s**t out of luck, and we will have to rely on public transport.
My brother-in-law is my sole driving instructor, and whenever he teaches me, he noted that I am pretty oblivious to my surroundings and anticipating things while driving. I do some pretty stupid mistakes, and fail to notice a lot of things, because I'm single-focused on driving (I can't multitask well at all)
When I took my test, I was really nervous, and it made me miss a lot of stuff I had no problem with in the written test... I can't seem to think on the spot well at all. I of course failed, and did several very dangerous things during the test. didn't help the instructor was chewing gum loudly in my ear.

I'm good at parking, and actually driving the car, but I'm bad at the stuff relating to other drivers, and knowing where to go... Mostly my sense of direction is TERRIBLE. I hate driving on unknown places.... Ugh. It almost feels like I am incapable of driving somewhere I've never been before.
I seem to have a hard time focusing on multiple things at once... My family doesn't understand this, so they think I'm being lazy or whatever. Or making excuses, or being irrational.

AND FOR SOME REASON, I am SO bad at remembering and figuring out where to go! Ugh. Last time I was on google maps to figure out how to go somewhere by foot, even, it took me like, an hour to figure it out. and I had to view each individual street in my mind, and refer back to the map countless times while walking.

Anyone else as ret*d as me in this area? It sucks so bad.

I didn't drive until I was 26. It sounds like you might want to listen to yourself rather than your family. You could handle the car itself just fine, but if you can't keep your attention on your surroundings then you're going to be dangerous for yourself and everyone else. No offense meant. That's why it took me so long to drive. I didn't think I could handle it. I only drove in areas where there was little or no traffic until dealing with the car became automatic. Only then was it possible to deal with the other things around.

Here's the deal for me. I was unwilling to take responsibility for wielding a large amount of mass at high speeds until I was fairly certain I wouldn't hurt myself or someone else. I could deal with all the issues of public transport and family opinion, but not ever with a death on my conscience.

This kind of makes me think of a commercial driving test I blew. It was for driver a large delivery vehicle and the exit from the training center is awkward. So I go to move the vehicle toward the exit and turned to wide. I didn't even make out of the training zone to the exit.

So what happened was my mind was already thinking ahead to that exit and kind of divided my attention and messed up my thinking. I did eventually pass the test but on my 3rd try after more review and training.

When I was learning to drive, it was pure luck that I didn't rear end/crash into several cars

I got my license when I was 18, but I really hated it. I didn't trust myself or anyone around me.

So I kinda took a long hiatus from it and didn't start driving again until I was 27 (for work purposes only).

It's not so bad anymore, but the issue I have is that I don't know what to do with the freedom that comes with having a car. All I ever use the car for is work. I know I can go anywhere I want, but I don't know where to go, or what to do so I stay home otherwise. I want to go out and do things and meet people, but I feel like I have to have permission because i have been so used to relying on other people for transportation.

I used to take driving lessons but I reached a point where I just gave up because I was throwing money at it but never got any better. Problems I remember having:
- Not understanding what images in the mirrors meant. I'd see something in the mirror, but couldn't process what it actually meant, where the car behind me actually was etc.
- Pressing the peddles with the right amount of force. I either pressed too much or not enough.
- Spatial awareness: I couldn't concentrate on everything that was going on around me and filter out what was "important" and what wasn't.
- Mixing up left and right. Even though I KNOW the difference between left and right, I'd still make wrong turns and the instructor would have to grab the wheel.

I'm diagnosed with dyspraxia but I love cars and driving.

I am 100% car ret*d. Cars might as well be pink spotted lizards from Zirith. Ugh. Ugh.

I have to learn to drive. 51 and have never been able to. Did I mention I hate cars? What a hellish task.

I still have my learners licence, despite being 23. Its because I have zero confidence in myself as a good driver...plus, I have a tendency to have one thing on my mind at a time and thus have a very fragmented attention span. Its tough for me to always survey my surroundings when I am so easily distracted with my own thoughts. I think its common for other people on the spectrum to have difficulties with driving, although I know a couple of people on the spectrum who have their full licence, and I am insanely jealous of them.

i didn't test to drive until i was 21. when i was learning, i barely avoided rear-ending some nubile short-shorts-wearing rear ends that were walking on the side of the road. this was embarrassing as my dad was in the car at the time tearing what little hair he had left out from his scalp. he gave up trying to teach me to drive. i lucked out and the state department of vocational rehabilitation sent me to driving school. i don't drive that well in complicated places like cities any bigger than the wide spot in the road which is shelton, washington.

I had lots of lessons and passed my driving test on my second attempt. I now do all the long distance driving and consider myself reasonably competent. But this is only when I am able to focus totally and completely on driving. If I have even the slightest distraction my driving deteriorates completely; so much so that as soon as someone tries to talk to me in the car or if for any reason I start thinking about something else, I will almost certainly have a near miss or even a crash. I’ve had two crashes when I know my mind was elsewhere and a number of near misses when I was distracted, the most recent of which was in a supermarket car park the day before Christmas Eve. This seems to be more of a multi-tasking issue; I can’t multi-task for toffee.

I was never able to pass my test. I failed two times because I was nervous (thanks to my social anxiety) about being in a car with someone who was judging me (and the fact that they are always men makes it worse). For years I got my permit renewed. That is super embarrassing and they are mean about it. I practiced and practiced. I used to drive occasionally with a licensed driver but I hated it with a passion, everything bothered me. People did tell me that I did well but it's because I was so worried and overly careful. I especially hated how no one else seems to be following any of the laws. I haven't driven in a few years now and I don't think I ever will again (which sucks/makes me terribly needy & feel more insecure & depressed) due to everyone else talking/texting on phones & not looking at the road. I was also awful at parallel parking & not that great at backing up at different angles. I hate how when you have to do that stuff everything is backwards of how it usually is. I had a bad experience when someone forced me to drive in a situation a few years ago which also did a number on me.

This town doesn't really have public transportation but I lived in one that did in the past & I suck at that too. I know that some people love/memorize maps but not me. All the stops looked the same and I was constantly worried about not getting off at the right one. Sometimes the thing you pull wouldn't stop it & I would go mute & a stranger would yell for me. Plus sometimes the buses just didn't show up or didn't stop (drove right past me).

I've been able to use public transportation in one area - the Portland, OR metropolitan area (Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties, plus Vancouver, WA). I hate transferring, however. Give me buses that are a straight ride from origin to destination.