Aspies For Freedom

My mom never thought of any reason I couldn't drive. Though I was afraid to until i was 19. :mad:  The kids on my high school soccer team would make fun of me because my sister was driving & I wasn't. They didn't know or care about my problems so I didn't bother to tell them I was afraid.   :fear:  My biggest fear is entering traffic from a side road. I hate trying to cross multiple lanes or especially to get in the middle turning lane. When I was in my first year of college I lived with my great-grandmother. She would take me to school in the mornings. One day we were headed there when a car driving down the road swerved into the turning lane hitting us. The car spun around several times before stopping.  :mad: That was very scary but I didn't let any one know especially the angry woman screaming at my Grannie.   I felt bad because she had broken ribs from that. I felt guilty because she was driving me to school. I drive most of the time now but there are days when I feel more afraid than others. The worst is during bad weather like heavy rain or icy roads.  I'm very leery about taking my son's team members to soccer games because I feel it's one thing to misjudge & get me and son hurt but different with someone elses kid involved.

After I unwillingly took drivers' ed at 18, it being the only high school course I nearly failed, I never got behind the wheel of a vehicle until the age of 40.

There's a ten-minute wait to get out of parking lots where I work.

I was a terrible driver at first (took driver's ed senior year of high school). I couldn't judge distance, ran over curves, etc. I had one accident right after getting my license. Thirty years later, I don't even have another ticket. I learned to compensate by driving slow, keeping long distances between myself and others, and driving has become second nature to me, like with other people. I'm going to let my PDD-NOS son learn to drive at 18. I think he can do it. Like me, he'll take more time, and he'll be very good at it once he gets the hang of it. Took him six years to learn soccer and swimming, but he's good at both.

Not everybody who is autistic can drive a car.
Granted I have Kanner's but still on the technicalties that I can type and express myself have my own apartment (and really depending on who's defining what) while I'm still generally considered "LFA" due to the 'severity' of my autism, I HAVE been caleld "HFA" on occasion, and I still can't drive a car. Is my autism why? Well I'm pretty sure its at least part of why (being a visually impaired person with seizure disorder obviously play their part too - but so do sensory issues and coordination (both physical and mental) and those are also the result for me, of being autistic.

I HAVE driven cars before and its a very terrifying experience for all involved. If I make a car get up to about 30mph its just very scary. I can do parkinglots and slower speeds and I made my friend John show me on his car where all the emergency blinkers and lights are and made him put a phonebook in the backseat incase of any emergency where I would have to drive him to a hospital for any reason (I have this fear that somehow something could happen to him when we are out and I will have to drive the car then if it does and that is why, with the intention of making the car light up with all the emergency blinking and I'd be honking the horn alot drawing police or someone to come help if it ever did happen). I also made him let me drive on a little stretch of road nobody goes on (he picked the road) so I knew enough of the basics of how to do this if I ever needed.

I will admit that was a pretty scary drive down that little road. I have tried driving a car before and at about 30mph I always make people (including myuself) VERY nervous. That happened again this time too. That I'm making 2 tons of metal move much faster than a human being is really supposed to go does not help because I am too aware of that any time I have tried this. I'm sometimes 'freaked out about' this thought even as a passenger in a car but I try not to think about it. I can't avoid thinking about it if I am the one making the car move.

*I* know I couldnt' drive a car even if I didn't have other medical reasons and that's fine with me. Its a scary thing that other people can do, that's fine with me.

Not everybody who ISN'T autistic can drive a car.
I have had two aunts (one's passed on, one isn't) who really couldn't drive cars either. my sister and mother also avoid driving when they can and while nobody in our famly is a wimpy sort of woman, no old sexist ideas in our family or whatever as I can tell but when it comes to driving it does seem that the women in our famly are more scared of it avoid it when they can and do want the men to do it more and none of the women in my family to my knowledge or to look and guess seem to have Asperger's even (althogh I think my two nephews who drive just find might have AS and I'm almost positive my brother who can drive very well is actualy obsesseed with cars, has AS).

I don't know if I will be able to drive. I get scared if a car is coming in the opposite direction or if we get too close to a car infront and that is just when I am a passenger. And I know that if things started to go slightly wrong I would freak out and not be in a fit condition to drive.

I have rode an off-road motorbike before, I crashed it into a tree at 40mph. I quickly planned how to hit the tree as to not cause me alot of damage. Though the bike never worked again.

Power to you, bro! I'm gonna be going to a driving school this summer because I'll be turning 16 this August. My parents think I probably can't, but it's pretty amazing what one can do when they are motivated to not take a friggin' bus. I think bus-riding is dangerous because you are a lot more vulnerable on a bus than in a car. I mean, would you let a thug with a gun into your car? There are all sorts of creepy, screwed-up, criminal minds on a public bus, and I sure as heck am not gonna put my life in danger just to go to the store or something!

I will offer my experience.  I got my licence in 1990 when I was 21.  The hardest part was the process of learning.  I wasn't comfortable with my parents as teachers, so I saved up and got some lessons from a professional instructor.  The instructor and the tester were a bit concerned as to whether I was ready for the road, but as soon as I was able to drive alone, I had no issues.  If anything, my AS has actually helped keep me out of trouble, because I've been aware of unusual things around me, such as subtle movements of shadows that turn out to be kangaroos on the road.

There's also a lot of other subtle things which can sometimes be of benefit, so in summary, AS definitely does not disqualify someone from driving, and in some cases, it might have some benefits.  Everyone has to make that judgement call for themselves.  And performance with someone looking over one's shoulder may not necessarily be a reliable indicator of actual driving ability, if there's anxiety issues present.

I have been driving since I was 17. I enjoy driving and cars so it was a priority to learn to drive and quickly. I had six professional lessons and my dad let me drive him to/from work each day. I passed my test 21 days after I was 17 ( the min. UK age ). I can also drive articulated lorries, I passed those tests in 1997, when I was 21.

I find that I notice things and potential dangers that without AS I might otherwise miss. Most people comment on how calm and smooth my driving is. I do like to make progress though and I do get impatient with people. Anxiety isn't to unhelpful because it maintains alertness and an instinct to selfpreservation.

Most people I know who can't drive struggle with the basics, clutch control, balancing the braking/ acceleration, etc. I think its essential to master these basics, perhaps in a carpark, before going out onto the road. Then you can concentrate on the traffic issues rather than the mechanical ones.

Everyone who wants to drive should try. It is a skill though so not everyone should expect to be able to do it well.

You raise an interesting point and it relates to something I have observed in a more general sense.  What I have discovered is that I have a limit to how I learn skills that involve physical co-ordination.  The normal teaching method is to talk about the action then demonstrate, then step by step.  This method doesn't work well for me.  

The talk takes an effort to translate into something I can work with, and I'm not an auditory learner.  The demonstration has all the physical "correctness", but to translate from what I see to a "model" that I can use to carry out the skill is very complex, because visual cues have to be turned into motion (and correctly modelled at that!).  Step by step might seem better, but the rate of processing is still excessive, because I am simultaneously interpreting instructions and trying to make sequences of movements fit an imperfect model, and fight any subconscious corrections.

However, once I have built the models I need to perform an activity, it takes very little conscious effort to do it, and distractions tend not to be a problem.  Interestingly, I also don't play games involving motion well, because they (1) violate the laws of physics (the motion is not near enough to a true representation), and (2) they don't offer the physical feedback I need to interact with moving objects - I need to feel (literally!) my way when it comes to activities involving motion, and games don't provide that necessary feedback channel.

Some activities that no one could teach me, but I was able to learn in my own time include:

Swimming - just couldn't get it, until one day when I was by myself, it just "came together", and then I was off and swimming fine.

Cycling - Parents and sisters tried to teach me to ride a bike and it made no sense.  I learnt by simply jumping on the bike and "feeling" my way around until I could sense the balance and motion, then it all came together.  That process took less than half an hour from nothing to riding around like an expert.

Driving also partly fell into this category, and it took my internal modelling process to refine my technique into what it is today.  Most people feel safe with me driving.

Wonder if others work in the same fashion as I do.

His parents can't possibly know if he's not high enough functioning to drive unless they've seen him drive.  So, instead of telling him that he can't drive, they should just let him drive.

I have moderate Asperger Syndrome, am 23 years old, and cannot drive. I am dyspraxic, have poor reaction time, and am easily overwhelmed by multiple stimuli. From what I can tell--I took driver's ed at the age of 16; I took it twice and got two A's in the classroom and an F and a D on the road--it would take a few months of intensive lessons from a very patient instructor for me to learn; and I have not yet found such an instructor.

I have lived on my own since the age of 17, mostly in college dorms. Thankfully, I was never completely without friends and was able to get rides to stores when I needed them. There were always ways to get around, if I was creative. Not being able to drive has been a handicap, but not an insurmountable one.

My best means of transportation is my bicycle. I have lived mostly in towns which are too small to have a bus system--but that makes them small enough so that I can easily get anywhere in town by bike. I can ride a bicycle without having many accidents because it is slower and my reaction times do not need to be as good as with a car.

As a rule of thumb, a town more than about six or seven miles across is too big to handily cross on a bike. Although it's possible to go further, one has to take into account very cold days, rainy days, or slick roads--conditions in which going further than that would be inadvisable. Also, a bike one uses for transportation should be of good quality--reliable, with multiple speeds and a good brake system, sturdy enough to stand up to heavy use, and with a comfortable seat and handgrips. Also, anyone using a bicycle to get around should wear a helmet and backpack, carry a cell phone and some cash (for a cab, if necessary), and own a raincoat short enough not to interfere with the wheels. (Suggestion for riding in the rain: Wear a bright rain coat, and bring a change of clothes with you in a plastic bag in your backpack.) A bike should also have good reflectors on it, in case you are out after dark.

If I lived in a city too big for my bike, it would probably be big enough for a bus system or even a subway. I don't have experiences with buses beyond Greyhound (long-distance bus company); but I think I would have to get used to these, since they are overwhelming to the senses--smells, especially; and the probability that someone will take a seat next to you and start a conversation. It would still be possible, though, and safer than driving.

Regarding an autistic who cannot drive: I would also let him find out for himself. If you can teach him to drive, do so--even if it does take months and months. If it turns out he doesn't have the mental or physical skills it takes to learn to drive, it will quickly become apparent that driving is unsafe, and you will have to inform him, or let a driving tester inform him, that this is true.

However, let him know that he does not have to depend on other people for transportation. If he can learn to ride a bike, then all he has to do is live in a city or town--either bus or bike will get him most places; and a cab should suffice for anywhere a bus or bike won't take him.

Not being able to drive is a handicap, but it is a minor one.

Bicycles are a great means of transportation.  I can manage a radius of 10 miles for routine travel on a bike.  Access to a reasonable train system increases this by a large amount.  However, for a 7 mile trip into the city from here, the bicycle is the fastest means of transportation in peak times by about 5 minutes.  Train/bike combination comes in second, then finally the tram and the car (this side of town has very congested roads).

Well, buses can be slow and impractical in some circumstances.  Large sections of our bus system take long and winding routes, which can be much slower than the bike.  I rarely catch buses, but the trains are very useful.  Here, you can carry your bike on the train, so you can use the train to cover the long haul and then ride the rest of the way to your destination.  I've been off the road for several months (until I can afford to get the car fixed), so I have been making good use of the public transport and the bicycle.

Agree on all counts, except for the last one, because that depends on one's specific situation.  If all of your activities are either close to you, or you live in a city with a good transport system, then not being able to drive won't be much of a problem.  However, if you have reason to travel great distances and there are no alternate means of transport, then it's a bigger issue.  Unfortunately, I have activities and places that fall into this category from time to time.  Time can be an issue as well, especially late at night, where people assume travel times typical of a car in light traffic, but the available transport options are much slower.  Here, this happens when meetings are scheduled in the suburbs on a different line to the ones I'm near.  Unfortunately, an aspie meeting I like to attend is in one of those awkward locations.  It is right next to a train, but it's a different line which means the trip home takes over an hour.  Even with the car and a 40 minute drive, the timing is marginal (to be in bed at a reasonable hour for work the next day).  With the much longer train journey, it becomes unworkable.  Cycling isn't an option, because the distance is around 15 miles (again, well over an hour's ride).

I think that anyone who wants to learn to drive or is struggling to learn should buy a basic car mechanics book and learn a bit about how cars work. Once you can have a visual picture in your mind of how the components of the car react to your actions I am sure it makes it easier to operate them. I think some people also find difficulty in judging appropriate speed and braking distances. During an advanced driving course I went on the first lesson was to drive about 10% slower than normal and I had to do a running commentary of my actions and hazards I could see. It was amazing how many more hazards I noticed just going that little bit slower. By the end of the course I had been trained how to see and respond to those hazards at a higher speed.

Great. I hope they help him to learn to drive. For me driving = freedom.