Learning to drive: easy or hard?

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Hi,
I am terrified now that my daughter is old enough to drive. And to be fair to me, she's terrified too, and I have tried to stay positive with her. Reason is that she is terribly clumsy, distractible and gets lost easily. When she was about 10 she went on a go-cart ride when we were at the beach and at the end when you slow down and guide your car into the line to get out she didn't brake. At all. She rammed into the stopped car in front of her and the kid in the car in front of her was taken to the hospital with whip-lash.

But, hey, people need to learn how to drive.

I got to thinking, is driving something that is more difficult for AS folks? Or is this just a "her" thing, a collection of traits that are unique to her that add up to "Yikes!"

Was driving hard for you to learn? Have you put off learning, have you decided never to learn? Or are you just fine with it?

Curiously,

Ann

most of it was easy for me, but i had a lot of diffiulty with changing lanes while driving. when i first started driving i had a habit of slowing down while i looked over my shoulder to look for oncoming traffic and i guess that was a safety hazard for people behind me. i took some extra driving lessons to try and get rid of that habit and it worked i guess. I dont slow down anymore but i try as much as possible to stick to one lane regardless if its the slower one just so i dont have to switch. i also find it difficult to judge the speed of oncoming traffic and if its okay to cross the lane when turning....but thats just me, i have a problem with judging distances. I just cope by being patient and wait until the coast is clear and then i turn regardless if people behind me get mad

Maika sounds like me. I do drive, but there are things about the driving that are difficult. I prefer to avoid lane changes whenever possible. Left turns if I have to cross one or more lanes of traffic going the other way are extremely difficult, to the point where I normally make extra right turns and drive the extra distance to avoid having to make those risky left turns. Parking can be tough. I have a hard time driving in bad weather, especially if it is dark. I think any Aspie that drives has to use extreme caution and concentrate a lot more than most drivers do, and it is still very risky.

That said, I have a few Aspie friends (men in their 30's) who DO NOT drive, hate trying to drive, don't think they can do it, and prefer to get by without doing it. So not every autistic person can or should drive. Anyone with co-ordination issues in general would be much more risky behind the wheel, and unfortunately, that go-cart incident is an indication of what could happen on a larger scale (not trying to scare you or be negative, but there are realistic concerns).

I think it depends on the teacher, mine made me lose confidence for years then I drove with someone i likedand didn't make me meltdown etc and was fine. Can I suggest you don't let someone who's terrified of her teach her Make sure to choose an instructor who uses dual controls to begin with to help ease your worries. If she's not up to driving she won't get a license so noone will get hurt.

So advice is if after the 1st lesson she doesn't like the instructor don't force her to continue with the same one. Also try to hide your fear

LOL. I actually taught myself how to drive for the most part. I was living on my own and didn't have much choice in the matter. Though I was able to learn all of the mechanics of driving, who the teacher was wouldn't have affected the neurological issues that cause the difficulties. I've been driving for almost 19 years and still have the brain issues that are behind the challenges.

lol yes same here best not mention it. Yeah the neuro problems will still be there but with someone who makes you really edgy or angry or annoyed I'm sure it'd be a lot worse. I stayed learning with this one instructor for nearly 30 useless nightmare-ish lessons just because my mum liked him.

Last edited by racooneyes on 10 Oct 2009, 1:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

I had spent all my years observing how my parents drive that driving just came naturally to me. Only 5 minutes into the DMV driving test I made quite an impression on the whole staff, as if I drove for many years.

Learning to drive, as in learning to operate a motor vehicle so it would move under my control and in direction I want it to go, that was extremely easy. I actually taught myself. Got in a car alone, drove around the parking lot for 5 minutes, then drove around the block for 5 minutes, then had a friend with a license in my car and I went around town for about 10 minutes. That was it. I drove solo around town from then on. About two months later I hit the freeway for the first time.

However, learning to anticipate and to prevent accidents, and being able to get in the heads of other drivers, and basically becoming a safe driver, that took about 18 months of regular driving.

I was really nervous at first, and i kept thinking that i was going to run into peoples' mailboxes so it took me a little while to get the hang of staying in the middle of the lane. Got frustrated a few times in drivers ed, but i learned quick and now it's just something i do most days. Never had a real accident. In a higher traffic area i don't know that i'd have done as well, though.

I never had a single lesson, except that I did have to beg one of the managers where I worked for help because I'd bought a 1964 Ford truck that had what they call 'three on the tree' to shift gears instead of a regular stick shift. I had to get help figuring out where 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and reverse were.

I found it hard. I found learning to control the vehicle hard, especially changing gears which involves a lot (by my standards!) of coordination, and having to do many things at once. Sheer frustration of trying had me in tantrums. And other cars, yuck, it'd be lovely if the roads were empty. Or even if other people used their indicators properly!

But I got there in the end, and even passed my test first time, and I find driving quite enjoyable now. It just took a long time getting used to it.

I found it to be pretty easy, the written test was harder in my opinion.

Driving is a mental thing, for some it's very easy for others it's challenging. There are a lot of things to consider when driving..you need to be aware of a lot more things. When you think of all the details of controlling 2,000 lbs of steel safely down a road filled with other people doing the same... it's enough to make a person's head spin.

If she has issues driving, find an empty parking lot or field. Pick up some cones at the local sporting goods store or big box store and lay out a course. Remain calm as she drives over the cones or happens to hit the only lamppost in the 10 acre parking lot. She has to become confident in her ability, ones she mastered the parking lot.. then country roads.. followed by areas with more distractions.

Driving is a serious responsibility, one that the person behind the wheel has to respect. Teach her not only how to drive, but how to also respect the privilege.

I'm learning... seems ok so far, but then I haven't checked out the theory side...

It might be worth enrolling her in a (safe) driving class specifically designed for new drivers. The instructors will know how to deal with nervousness in the car & the classroom portion presents the applicable laws, signs, etc. in a manner that connects with the in-car portion. The one I went to also prefers students to come in with either minimal knowledge or none because then there are fewer bad habits to break. My friends all took the course offered thru the highschool, but I think that's too nerve-wracking due to the other students in the car; however, that might be the best option because here if one takes instruction that includes observation hours (of other students w/instructor in the car) then the driving portion of the license exam can be skipped.

Yeah exactly my point, the driving part is easy took me about 5 lessons the rest was just him trying to make as much money as he could out of me by picking on little irrelevancies and saying it wasn't good enough. He wouldn't let me put my left heel on the floor when disengaging the clutch for instance, I've never seen anyone else use the clutch with their foot in the air it was actually painful to hold it their for an hour but he wouldn't let me go for the test til I did it.
I enjoyed my second set of lessons much more, just driving a car around a major city on my own for a couple of weeks, great refresher course.