Driving

Welcome

Nice to meet you.

The brain is so complex but intelligent and I think it will always do its best to protect you and keep you safe.

That's my thoughts on it anyhow

I'm Devina, hi. Thought I'd introduce myself. 

blank space said:

I think it's where your brain partially shutdown so it sort of defaults to a safe place. 

Home is one of the safest places so I think that's why you go there. 

That's an interesting analysis of what's going on

I know that feeling and it has happened to me.

I think it's where your brain partially shutdown so it sort of defaults to a safe place. 

Home is one of the safest places so I think that's why you go there. 

I do the same.

Sometimes if I'm very anxious I can't bring myself to drive at all. 

Thank you.

Yes, I drive an automatic too.

6 months on I'm having a different problem.

I am zoning out mentally (very occasionally) and unless I'm following a well trod route (my favourite way to drive) I end up back home before reaching my destination!

I'm still attentive to the road so it's not going to cause an accident.

Doh.

Hi Debbie.

Yes I would say it is autism related. With so much to think about and process doing gears in a manual can be too much. 

I drive an automatic. I couldn't process everything with a manual. 

And yes it's difficult so much to do and think about. Other road users put me off.

I wish they would all go away LOL 

Sorry I was trying to say we're the same and you're not alone with this. 

Congrats on passing! Pleased for you.

I can't drive and don't think I'll ever be able to. I get way too nervous for it. The whole idea of being out there is just terrifying to me. Even as a passenger I'm nervous, I think of crashes and breaking down and it just overwhelms me.

I prefer to walk when I can. 

I'm thirty-nine and I can't drive. I have never even had a lesson. I had various reasons why not, but eventually I realised it was anxious avoidance. I'm scared of operating such a dangerous piece of machinery, especially as I'm not always well coordinated even with things like shopping trolleys, and I'm bad at judging the speed and distance of traffic when crossing the road.

However, my wife doesn't drive either. She has had lessons and done badly (she is not diagnosed autistic, but has a lot of symptoms). She feels that I ought to at least take a few lessons to see how I cope as it would be useful if one of us could drive. This is reasonable, especially as she is doing bigger things for me (moving from the US to the UK for one thing), but I am nervous.

So there is a thread running on driving. What has your comment got to do with driving? You keep adding random comments and links. Your lack of information about what you are actually seeking is worrying. People offer advice and all that you reply with is,” I can’t ,”loose the ‘t’ and you will start getting somewhere. If you are trolling then please stop. Life is hard enough without added stress.

@NAS82959 I'm struggling to understand how the link you have provided is relevant to the topic of driving.

I took advantage of the cheaper lessons at 6th form college when I was 17 and passed first time but I did take a year of a lesson every week before my instructor put me in for the test. My best friend (who certainly has spectrum traits and may well be on it but I don't know) had her test sooner but failed multiple times and only passed years later.

I like driving when the roads are quiet but hate when it is busy or manic. I have heard of other autistic people who refuse to learn to drive. We are so varied though, I am sure some of us are excellent drivers and some would be dangerous and totally incapable.

I passed, in a manual, aged 28; but not without heartache, and great expense.

My main fear is hitting someone, and being claimed against. In Northern Ireland, everyone is obsessed about Insurance. But my no-claims is now protected.

Now I know I am autistic I think it is an autistic thing. I learnt to drive in my 20s and didn't pass first time. One of my instructors commented that I took a while to make decisions. I also don't have good spatial awareness which is why I failed first time. When I did pass I managed locally as it was not a busy area and not many roundabouts. I mostly avoided motorways as none nearby. At that time I lived alone so needed it to get to work, shopping etc.

Since I moved to a busier area where people drive agressively I have driven less until I finally decided I didn't feel safe driving so either walk or my husband drives me.

I think I would have done the same, before I was old enough to drive coaches, I was an apprentice mechanic. 39 hour week for £25. We called the YTS, the Youth Termination Scheme. Thatcher’s Britain!

Thanks Roy, that's good to know.

Not sure if this will amuse. I have an uncle on the spectrum who used to work for a coach company (as a driver). There had been an occasion (circa 1960s) when a young child on board the coach had been playing a penny whistle. It was annoying the other passengers, in addition to annoying my uncle and being an unwelcome distraction. He stopped the coach, marched up to the child, took the penny whistle and snapped it in half... much to the relief of the other passengers.

Hi, I’ve noticed a lot of the young now are learning in automatic cars. Electric cars have no gears so they don’t see the point of learning manual gears. There is basically stop / go pedals. 

I was bought up in a coach hire business, when it’s a family business there wasn’t really any choice. I passed first time, I find my brain will become robotic when driving. It turned out that I couldn’t be sent anywhere carrying passengers, to have that many people so near to me, making noise and an expectation of me was too much, my anxiety would go sky high and I would normally get lost. I found that just doing the same school run with the same children and route everyday was the only way I could function. The anxiety would still be there but I could manage it. I didn’t know I was autistic then, I occasionally will cross paths with some of my old school children. The comment I’ve had is,” your the driver that never spoke.”