Driving

I passed my test on the 2nd attempt. The 1st time I got failed for,

1. Going 40mph on a road which used to be a 40mph road, but got changed to 30mph and they never bothered putting up new signage.

2. Passing too close to a parked car. I didn't hit it nor did I see the examiner hanging out the window with a ruler.

Funnily enough the examiner I got on my 2nd test was apparently notoriously strict. So goes to show how much salt to take with the results of the 1st.

I found that I needed wetsuit shoes for driving as I needed a lot of tactile feedback from the pedals.

I found the whole manual gears setup actually quite tricky to get used to. It took me a few months to be fully confident.

Trying to purchase the first car is always a nightmare unless you have the bank of mummy and daddy. "Just get a cheap car" they say. Yeah sure, even if the car is £300. The insurance is £1500, the tax is £250. And it's always a heap which needs £600 of repairs in the first month. Then the MOT is £700. And it costs £60 to fill it with petrol.

Whilst I very much appreciate the convenience of having a car. At the same time, I absolutely bloody hate it!

I passed just fine, but I like to help people with advice because I know learning comes differently, or with more conscious effort.

I passed on my 3rd test. 

During thevsecond test i was told to turn right at the roundabout. I proceeded to the inside line only to be told to get back on the right side of the road!!!

I often get lost. I dont remember journeys or distances

Im not sure about disclosure 

Keep at it x

I love driving but can get stressed with it when it's busy so I try to only drive at quiet times. My favourite time to drive is early on Sunday mornings, it's bliss I literally see no one else which is lovely.

One of my favourite driving experiences was when I took my sister and I down to Devon to meet my parents who had gone down a few days before, I stayed at home to wait for my sister as she didn't finish work until a few days later and as it was my parents wedding anniversary we thought we would surprise them.

The journey started of ok. I was driving my Ford Capri and the first hour of travel went superbly and then we took to the country roads, the speed limit was 40 so I did a steady 35 mostly because I didn't want to get done for speeding. We went round this corner and literally there was a cow, not even joking here! It took up the whole road and the speed we were doing I would have hit it, so I stamped the breaks and turned the wheel. To the side of the car was a verge and hedge - goodbye immaculate Capri gold paint job!
The car hit the verge with a bang and the front end nestled into the hedge, with the rear end sticking up out of the hedge.

We waited for the RAC to recover us for over an hour, with the cow stood by the car eating the grass. Despite the slight damage to the poor car I can't deny my sister and I laughed about it then she laugh about it still now and it remains one of my favourite car moments.

Oh and for anyone curious about the cow the farmer collected her while we were waiting for the RAC. Apparently someone had left a gate open and several had escaped. He did offer to pull out the Capri with his tractor which was good of him.

Yep, that sort of thing starts out challenging, but practice can address it. You get a feel for it gradually,  but it takes persistence. One of the things I remember getting harangued about is that when I made a right turn, I would keep the curb in view, and that made the turns really wide. It seems like everything we learn requires more intentionality or contemplation, but that doesn't mean you can't learn it. If you're having a lot of trouble, I suggest finding some way to simulate or approximate the experience. A computer simulation might help you get a feel for distances and velocities. But only the enclosed interior will help you get a feel for how features in the world hide behind the car body, where you can't see them. You have to develop a feel or intuition for where hidden things are, like where the curb is, where the bumpers and fenders are on other vehicles.

I passed my driving test on the fifth attempt. I thought I just wasn’t cut out for driving but I’m now quite a confident driver and haven’t had any kind of accident in 25+ years of driving (except one time when an idiot drove into the back of me while I was stationary at the lights).

I learnt to drive many years ago. My failure was being too hesitant. I also have spatial awareness difficulties, so allow more space than required hence hesitancy until room. 

I didn't know I was autistic then but do err on the safe side and my reactions are not quick. I think as an autistic person I tend in general to do a lot of checking before making decisions. 

After I did pass, people did complement me on my careful driving. However where I live now everyone is in a rush so I no longer drive.

Hi!

I passed my test 2 years ago after at least 50 hours of learning and independent practice. 

I found manual quite difficult to get the hang of at first, but once the muscle memory kicked in it was pretty straightforward. The only thing I struggled with was trying to pay attention to everything at the same time - eg., speed, mirrors checks, cars in front and behind, my position in the road...

I failed my first test (mainly due to nerves) with 2 serious faults and 11 minors, which were mostly due to being in the wrong lane in the roundabout and getting confused. Got a few minors for hesitation on roundabouts, and also not giving enough time to indicate before turning. 

I didn't disclose being autistic, but I did bring it up when chatting to the examiner in the car on my second test (which I passed). He was quite interested to know how it impacted my driving, if I see things differently. 

What helped me was getting some hypnotherapy before my second test to calm my nerves, which seemed to help. Additionally, I practiced a LOT before my second test, just driving my parents everywhere, doing all kinds of parking manoeuvres. 

I still find it difficult to drive sometimes because it can all be quite overwhelming, and I'm nervous about driving alone as I'm worried something could go wrong. To get over it, I just practice driving when the roads are quiet, as this is easier and I feel I improve my skill a lot more. 

My parents also got a new car, which is an automatic - I've found that this is a lot easier to drive than a manual. I still think manual is worth learning as this gives you the options to choose between auto/manual once you pass. 

Before I became disabled I was looking at learning to drive but I had to stop after a few lessons. I found it highly overwhelming and my hyper sensitivities to sound caused sensory overload and other cars lights were overwhelmingly bright and I couldn't cope with it. More than once we had to pull over and I fell to pieces and had a meltdown. 

As it turns out now I wouldn't be able to drive anyway but no matter what I could never have done it because of my autism and the hyper sensitivity I endure.

Hi I can share a story with you. I have had loads of lessons in a manual car but I don’t understand the gears so I’m hoping to learn automatic instead. During one of my lessons I messed up big time and I stalled and blocked the road when a fire truck was coming down the road with its blue lights and siren on no great at all my driving instructor Cindy had to try to manoeuvre quickly to let them pass not a great lesson. There was another time I was driving home on a duel carriageway during rush hour and as I approached a roundabout the clutch broke and the car wouldn’t move the cars behind were sounding their horns I started freaking out luckily Cindy managed to get the car to safety and got her son to pick me up to take me home and I got a free driving lesson that day so that’s my experience. When I finish university I am going to start having lessons in an automatic again car.