Driving with Asperger's

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Don't ever give up on getting your licence the freedom, Independance you feel happy and free. I had bad vibes and had no confidence and gave up for awhile due to my Dad who also has AS had no patience for me and I did have trouble with the clutch and changing gears Dad and I had so many fights that I lost the confidence and self esteem to continue something I actually enjoyed. In the end I never gave up, I ended up getting my licence first go and I enjoy every minute of driving, when I am able to drive my parents car or my little brothers car. When I did have a car you would never see me at home. I would always be driving around. I didn't care where or how far I went it would calm my anxiety attacks, panic attacks and feeling uncomfortable, it was the freedom, to be free, Independance, I could go anywhere, it was one of the things I enjoyed the most besides being in a recording studio days on end. Sadly my mazda 323 1985 model died and I ended up without a car for awhile which I felt my independance had gone and apart of me had gone. I did end up being able to drive my Dads car a Nissan Pintara which made me happy but I had to sell that car to pay for the bond and two weeks rent for the granny flat I moved into. You will be a good driver don't let anything stop you.

I have a very bad reaction time to but I look so far down the road that it is seldom an issue. I find that blinds spot mirrors help a lot with parallel parking because you can see the curb in you mirror. There are accidents warning systems that are being developed the best of which is called MobileEye but this technology isn't developed enough in my opinion. In two or three years time I believe that it might be worth looking into.

I have no issue with driving unless I drive slowly. The car I drive is not very well refined or modern and requires your undivided attention. So, I drive it quickly and it forces me to pay attention because of the high level of stimulation it gives. How unrefined you ask? It has manual steering, a manual transmission, a 55 hp engine (when new) and very little sound deadening so you hear every sound it makes. It's rather meager road holding means it has low limits that limit your speed. Give me a better performing car and I will drive it fast enough that it gives me the same level of sensory feedback. The car is also a death trap in an accident as it is small, has no airbags and was not designed to crash well. This also keeps me on my toes as if I lose my attention to the road, I am dead.

This is all a variation on the old saying "It is more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow." If you've never done it before, you really ought to try it some time. It's a lot of fun!

I'm a good driver, if I may say so. I've been driving vehicles; including cars, pickups, large trucks, commercial vans, and motorcycles in the crazy traffic of Los Angeles for nearly 30 years, and had one accident when I was a new driver. I've had a total of about 5 minor tickets in that 30 years for things like turning right during posted no turn hours, or speeding 10mph over the limit. And I drive a lot; probably 40K miles a year. I think I have a very good "sixth sense" for seeing potential hazards ahead, and I have excellent response time and reflexes. My wife was with me on a trip a couple years ago, and I was driving at 75mph in the middle lane of Interstate 10. It was at night, and something caught my attention up ahead, and I honestly didn't see anything, but I just knew somehow to slow down FAST. My wife thought the car was breaking down, because she didn't see anything at all. But just as I slowed enough to be able to safely change lanes, we saw in the darkness a broken down car in our lane, with no lights! God bless; if I hadn't slowed down, there was traffic on either side of us, and I'd have been the first car of a terrible accident by hitting that broken down car full speed. My wife was grateful that she wasn't driving, and she's an EXCELLENT driver with a longer and cleaner record than mine. So this proves that autism or Asperger's should not dictate how good or poor a driver may be.

With that said, the only Autism interference for me, is that at an uncontrolled intersection, where we must use right of way courtesy, and body language with eye contact, I often annoy other drivers by not perceiving their intent for me to have right of way. I will 99% of the time first attempt to surrender right of way to the other driver(s), and that's out-of-character for the typical NT Los Angeles driver, I guess. God willing, that has never caused any serious ill feelings or accidents for me, but it's always a bother. In fact, I'll drive out of the way to avoid such situations if possible.

Charles