Would getting my driver's permit be a bad idea?

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I am a female aspie, age 18. To be honest, I cannot even drive a shopping cart.

However, I found out that once you're 18 in my state, you can get a driver's permit without any test or classes.

I'm not even sure about the competent driver requirements.

Would it be a bad idea to just get one and try to drive learning from a relative?

I have been told my visual IQ is very bad (40th percentile) compared with my verbal (90th) and I think driving would be hard but I really don't want to have to stay with my parents much longer.

I'm a little fixed on being successful and famous, so I can't rely on my parents forever.

Should I try to take classes anyway even though it costs money and I would probably fail? Regardless, I think I need the permit to register to vote because I was 17 when I got my state ID so I could not at the time.

sister is an undiagnosed aspie now in her thirties and she had some visual processing issues with driving from her aspergers but she is a very experienced driver now.
when she learned to drive [possibly around the same age] her boyfriend taught her in an asda carpark when the store was closed so there wasnt a high risk of smashing up another car.

so perhaps shoud find a relative with a car and a large walmart carpark that doesnt put barriers down when its closed,will get a feel for it whether are going to be comfortable or not.
coud perhaps do this until have built up enough confidence to go do proper lessons.

On voting I believe getting a license or permit is just one way to register. There would be a way for non-drivers to register to vote.

On getting a permit, it doesn't hurt anything to do so. But they may be limited to a certain time frame, like only good for a certain amount of months.

If you predict it to be a difficult process for you then you do want to have a good training plan. I think that would involve both a drivers training course and relatives both as you will need a good amount of practice. Driving is more intimidating then difficult at first. Its sort of like riding a bike and fairly easy to pick up. That said, it does require fair coordination and maintaining you attention on driving. If you are not sure, I think the only way to know is to try. Just be safe and start in totally safe places, like farm roads or empty parking lots where you literally can't hit any other cars.

Good luck!

Where I lived, they are no longer allowed to charge different insurance rates based on age. So, to get around that all the insurance companies now charge based on years licensed or insured. Since I was 18 until I got my learners permit I ended up paying more than someone at 16 despite them not driving for several years. As well, where I live you now need to have a learner's permit for at least a year before applying (regardless of age) for a 'solo' license (and have to wait 2 full years on top of that to finally get a full, unrestricted license) and that is MORE than enough time for anyone to learn.

I was lucky in that stores were closed on Sundays when I learned to drive so that helped a lot. The next best place is the industrial park, with it's low speed limits, very wide streets, too many street signs and traffic lights to number and almost no traffic on weekends. PERFECT place to learn! Driving is not hard at all once you get the hang of it in fact I would say it's so easy it leads to many accidents due to carelessness and a false sense of security. I never thought I could learn to drive but when I did my test the Examiner told everyone I was the best driver he had ever seen. 12 years of flawless driving means he spoke the truth!

Yes, it's a good idea to learn to drive and to have a driver's license. It gives you a degree of independence you will never get any other way.

When you get to the actual driving test however, I do not recommend that you attempt to parallel park in a station wagon.

you should get it, you never know what you can do until you try

You should get it. You might not feel comfortable with driving right now but you never know when you will need to drive. It might be harder to get a driving permission when you get older because of lack of time. Get it while you can.

I got my driving licence when I was 18 and actually used a car (outside the lessons) first when I was 23 and got a job in a city that public transport couldn't help me much to get in (I faced a choice - go one way 1,5h by train+bus or only 25mins by car every day). I was scared like hell and I did make a few mistakes back then but at least I was able to drive already. I would need a few months if I had to get the licence at that time and since I already had the permission I needed only a few days to remind how to drive and then I was ready to go.

You're kind of in a similar situation to me altho I'm a couple years older, if you can get the permit then why not? I would never drive and be uncomfortable with it, nobody will force you to drive so just having a learner's permit or whatever Texas is offering can't hurt anything.

How could you get a license without taking a test?

I didn't learn to drive until I was 37. Visual processing problems--and living in New York City, where the public transportation is excellent.

Go for it!

I'm 29 and never got my G1, which is the first learning permit you get in Canada. I have a similar distribution of IQ scores and serious problems with visual/spatial processing and I'm not sure if it's safe for me to learn either. I also get startled and jump at loud noises, that wouldn't be good on the road. However, there is good public transit where I live and I don't really need to drive right now. It would be good to have the ID, I use my passport now but I can get an age of majority card if I apply for one.

Yeah, there's no harm in trying and driving is good for independence. However, don't be disheartened if you find it harder or more stressful than some people are making it sound. I also have a big iq split (99th verbal and 18th performance), and I've had my learner's permit for 5 years now but I have not been able to learn to drive despite trying. It's really stressful for me to pay attention to so many things at once, and I still can't get the hang of judging distance and speed, plus I have a hard time staying calm if someone beeps or sirens go by.

Try learning with a family member first if you want, but if you have a hard time I think lessons would be a great idea, especially if you could find someone who works with people on the spectrum or even just people with different needs from most. I would love to take lessons but I have not been able to so far.

So I think you should go for it and see how it goes! Good luck!