Aspies For Freedom

Here I am, almost 24 years old, and I still can't drive. I feel like a little kid. At this point, my dad and I are so frustrated with each other that there are no more driving lessons. He doesn't seem to understand that I can't learn everything in one session of driving. He also doesn't believe my aspie...ness has any bearing on my driving. But I seem to remember a lot of us having trouble driving, am I right? Why?

On a side note, if this weren't bad enough, my mother is so bipolar panic-attacking over everything that she won't even be in a car with me, for fear I'll wreck it. No faith whatsoever. And there is no driver ed. in my area, just an instructor who touches my hand while I drive and says creepy things. Oh, and he coast $35 a 1/2hr lesson. No thanks.

I passed my test very quickly, but then my main obsession was and still is cars. I can't see why AS should make any difference particulary. In fact it may make your driving safer because of the concentration required to stay safe.

My aspie boyfriend's driving makes me nervous. He's great at decision making, but not with the instantaneous reactions driving often requires. He says he drives by rote. What I see is that he tends to drive in accordance with his concept of the road, not in reaction to the actuality of the moment. It's like he's seeing the map in his head rather than the truck coming at him.

I was the only teen in school who didn't want to drive. I've had 3 or 4 cars that I never drove more than once. I had a friend or relative drive.  Eventually I drove short distances, but planned errand routes so it would be all right turns, wouldnt go to a drive up window and had my cousin pull into gas pumps for me. Now I teach driving.  How did I get there?  It became a Special Interest. I took LOTS of lessons, read books, studied videos, focused on improving one part at a time and practiced practiced practiced. The hard part is I still get lost easily. Some people are never able to drive and there is no shame in that.  Better to know that than have a bad accident.

P.S.: Since I can't absorb information well when I am nervous, I tape recorded all my driving lessons and listened to the tapes several times later.  I'd smack myself on the forehead and say "geeez she had to tell me that 10 times".  Dad took me into parking lots to practice with cones.  Probably the most fun though was going to recreational go-kart tracks and racing just for fun. That is a great place to get a feel for handling a vehicle and get used to others being close.

Hey Silky, that's great that you conquered this.  Any tips for those of us who haven't?  (but want to)

I'm 44 and I've never had a driver's license.  I drove a couple of times in boyfriend's cars when I was a teenager, and it was both thrilling and terrifying.  I wanted to take driver's ed, but my dad wouldn't let me.  Then the moment passed and I've never wanted to drive since.  I've had lots of opportunities, and a very pushy NT sister and Aspie boyfriend who both pressed me very hard to learn, but I never did.  I've been in several car accidents as a passenger, and that freaked me out pretty bad.  I try to avoid cars altogether, and live in a big enough city where the public transportation suffices when I can't get where I want on my own two legs (which are my primary form of transportation, not to mention health maintenance thereby).

GuessWho, I'm sure you didn't mean to insult us non-drivers by calling us non-adults, but that is how it reads to me.  

to the OP, I think there are special driver's educators for special people, you might want to look into it.  Or ask Silky!

Thanks everybody for your replies. You've certainly given me something to think about. I am moving to a new area to start grad school so I want to enroll in driver's ed. I think my problem with driving is that I know how to drive, but not how to react to other people's driving. It is a pain in the ass at busy intersections. Yesterday I almost got T-boned because some guy barreled through a stop sign and I never saw him. It's stuff like that which scares me.

Yep, thats me I'm affraid...

Left?...right?...straight?--where's the map? Dam it! I know the traffic lights have changed...Stop beeping me!

I never know which way I'm turning--how can I signal to let other people know? lol

Congrats on getting your license!  (I got mine when I was 30)

Yes! That's exactly how Erich sees it. The randomness of most drivers is just so hard to instantaneously accomodate.

His worksite and mine are 50 miles apart, but rather than living half-way between, we live close to Erich's site and I take the long commute. I just have so much anxiety about his having to deal with all the crazy San Francisco Bay Area traffic -- I'd rather have an hour+ drive than ever have anything happen to him

I started learning to drive at 19, and passed at 21.  I didn't used to care about cars or driving, but once I started learning I realised how much fun it was.  I find though that I make the mistake of assuming that people are going to follow the rules because I always follow the rules, and when they don't I get very upset about it.

For example right behind our house is a long straight road that is 30mph speed limit.  So I sit at 30 and then idiots start tailgating me.  I always get really tempted to ram on the breaks for no reason, but I don't.  I love driving my mum's mazda RX-8 though, although the hardest thing about driving it is getting smooth gear changes, you need a lot of revs, even when cruising through town.  Still it's extremely well balanced, beautiful steering, and comfortable, although it only gets 25mpg's, so pretty poor, especially when it's £1 a litre for fuel.

My dad's car on the other hand, is wonderful to drive, extremely comfortable, doesn't steer well, but it's a big Peugeot 307 SW diesel.  Changing gear is so easy, you can almost dump the clutch and it'll go in perfectly.  Anyway, I think being an Aspie would make you a BETTER driver because you'll try to make sure you are always following the rules, unlike 90% of morons who think they know how to drive.

So far, I haven't had any issues with driving.

Tim

I'm 21-years old and well I'm not sure if anyone on this topic lives in Ontario but... I got my (Level One) G1 Driver's License at 17, I stuided the handbook in between classes and such, so it took me a month to read it, but i read it thoroughly.  My Mom decided in the end she wouldn't let me take the written test because apprently she tried to make me read it again and i refused.

I was gonna pay for half of my Drivers ED and my parents pay for the other half but then they found it odd that i wanted to go for my 2nd level.  so it was a few years but... I moved in with my 79-year old Grama approx. 2-years ago and she is still an amazing driver and has been teaching me and done an awesome job at it, thought gets nervous quite often and panicks when I drive.  

I have taken the 1st of 2 road tests twice... but booked it a total of 5 times to date.  #1, I failed miserably #2, They refused me my booked test because the horn woudln't honk.  #3, I injured my right foot the day before the test, #4, I just finished failing and am now awaiting #5. ... one other bad thing here I dunno about other places, even if you do really well on your test but the one thign you do bad on is PARALLEL PARKING you culd fail anyway regarldess of how you do on the rest of your test .

(Here, you don't get your full license when you pass, in fact in order to have full driving privilages you have to pass 3 tests that take a MINIMUM OF 20-MONTHS to complete.)

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As early as 16 you can take a written test and if you pass you get a (Level One) drivers license known as a G1.  With this, you may only drive on roads that do NOT exceed a speed limit of 80 and at all times that you drive there MUST BE AT LEAST ONE PERSON in the car, in the passengers seat who has had their drivers license for at LEAST 4-years.

A minimum of a YEAR AFTER passing the written test you are allowed to take a ROAD TEST and if you pass you get a new one... a (Level Two) called a G2.  With this the rules are basically pretty much the previous level, the only main difference is that you can drive alone.

A minimum of a YEAR AFTER passing that ROAD TEST, you are allowed to attempt a 2ND ROAD TEST, and onyl after passing this 2ND ROAD TEST are you given full driving privliages... they say it is because the majority of accidents in cars are usually young drivers.
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In my case, I do want to drive, but I could not convince my mom to let me drive. (I do have a drivers license, btw.) I tried telling her about it, but she does even listen, so one time, I wrote her a letter telling her about how I feel about not driving, all she said was, "I don't know what to tell you." I am not sure about just telling her that I hate having to rely on someone else for transportation when I have my license. I think it would be easier for me to tell her that I think it is a lot easier for me to ask her if I could borrow the car rather than asking someone if they are free to take me somewhere. My hometown has a bus system, but it does not run 24/7 (no services between 6PM-7AM and all day Sunday). I do like to see one of my college friends before he graduates next month and I don't want someone to take me there. I don't know if this is the right approach to convince my mom.

The Illinois driving written test, there is no limit for it and you can also listen to the test while taking it if you need to.

The Illinois driving road test, here are some parts for it.

* It takes place on the road, not in a parking lot. It is mostly driving around normally along with backing up and hill parking.

* If you don't like to parallel park, Illinois does not require you to parallel park during the test.

* You don't take the test at night and/or in bad weather.