A lot of people with Autism don't drive cars, why is that?

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25 Jun 2024, 6:51 pm

I never got my driver's license not because I have been on the spectrum since I was 13,
but because I've been epileptic since I was 8.

Over the course of time, I've accepted being epileptic as a part of my human essence,
therefore I'm okay with not having a driver's license.

I walk or use public transit to get around.

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funeralxempire
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25 Jun 2024, 7:29 pm

IsabellaLinton wrote:

Autistics might be even better than NTs when it comes to driving, because we respect and follow rules.

Some of us, anyways. :oops:

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Sweetleaf
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25 Jun 2024, 8:25 pm

I just never got my drivers license, idk I got my permit but ended up going to college before I got a drivers license and I couldn't really afford to do it there and then idk moved back in with my mom and the bus service is pretty good so it just didn't seem entirely necessary so I put it off. But yeah I probably should get it, I did do some driving with my mom since I have the permit so I know I can drive. Just need to actually go take the test.

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Double Retired
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25 Jun 2024, 8:43 pm

If you think you can pass the test then it might be a good thing to do.

There is no obligation to actually use the license once you have it.

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IsabellaLinton
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25 Jun 2024, 9:04 pm

Double Retired wrote:

IsabellaLinton wrote:

So we should drive drunk like everyone else?

In general, I do try to follow the rules/laws when driving.

A very long time ago I heard that you can be a few miles over the speed limit without getting ticketed. I tend to shoot for three miles over the speed limit unless "going with the traffic" requires much more.

Where my Aspie inclinations have caused problems is stopping when I'm supposed to stop. I used to. Allistics apparently don't! I got rear-ended a few times when I stopped when I was supposed to. Now I try to gauge the traffic behind me before I stop.

(It boggles my mind when I feel guilty for driving through a yellow light and then the car behind me does, too...and then the one behind them!!)

There's more to following rules than driving the speed limit. It's normal to go with the flow of traffic, within reason of course. What I meant is that good drivers don't tailgate, cut people off, weave between lanes, get road rage, etc. We generally know to "stay in our lane" and focus on driving rather than texting or driving when drunk / stoned.

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Raleigh
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25 Jun 2024, 9:11 pm

I always try to stick to the speed limit when driving.
Very few freeways around here but a disproportionate amount of speed cameras.
It's not worth the $400+ fine.

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25 Jun 2024, 9:52 pm

Been driving since I was 17, couldn't imagine life not being able to.

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auntblabby
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26 Jun 2024, 12:20 am

i drive only at times when traffic is limited. i have enough working memory to negotiate 4-way stops where one must gauge down to the millisecond who came first. but freeway driving is dodgy when i have to pay simultaneous attention to more than 2 cars. i've scared my passengers white.

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26 Jun 2024, 9:42 pm

I had a month to get my licence when I was 19 because the person I was getting a lift to work with was going to work somewhere else. So I got my automatic licence and a friend found me a car (1978 Toyota Corolla).

Following that, I got my forklift licence and front end loader licence. I got to be very good at driving forklifts and it was my main job for seven years.

Maybe I'm not autistic? Haha, I know I am. However, I have no depth perception so I rely on other visual cues when I'm driving.

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27 Jun 2024, 12:02 am

Autistic people do, indeed, drive. Spectrum.

I drive and consider myself a superb driver. I know an autistic man who's an Amazon delivery driver. At autistic social events, there are autistics who drive to them. There's also a NASCAR driver who's autistic.

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27 Jun 2024, 1:28 am

some of us don't have the processing speed and attention breadth/span to be any more than barely adequate drivers. i only drive when i have no other choice, meaning i live where there is no public transit due to the unaffordable cost of city living for those not with 6+ figure incomes.

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27 Jun 2024, 7:48 am

r00tb33r wrote:

IsabellaLinton wrote:

So we should drive drunk like everyone else?

No, you should drive the speed of the rest of the traffic. Just because everyone else is driving 10 over the limit doesn't mean you should be the one making everyone scatter around you to dodge.

I think my former (retired) state trooper cousin would disagree with you. He would be pulling over the ones speeding past the one going the correct speed limit on the highway. That behavior was something he was looking for. 10 mph over would give you a nice fine guaranteed and a closer look in your car. 5 (or less) mph over he would just give you a warning, but he would also check your car out for violations (lights, insurance, etc.). He got some of his best drug busts this way.

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27 Jun 2024, 3:48 pm

In my neck of the woods the state bulls would be overwhelmed if they didn’t limit stops to those going over 10 above the limit.

funeralxempire
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27 Jun 2024, 4:08 pm

QuantumChemist wrote:

r00tb33r wrote:

IsabellaLinton wrote:

So we should drive drunk like everyone else?

No, you should drive the speed of the rest of the traffic. Just because everyone else is driving 10 over the limit doesn't mean you should be the one making everyone scatter around you to dodge.

The correct speed is how fast the rest of the traffic is going. Going slow enough it interferes with traffic is the incorrect speed, even if it's also the posted speed.

A lot of jurisdictions don't attempt to enforce the speed limit strictly because if everyone speeds there's always probable cause to pull someone over because they were almost certainly speeding.

Perhaps that state really does enforce things strictly but in a lot of areas he'd find himself sitting behind a desk instead of a steering wheel.

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27 Jun 2024, 4:40 pm

Elgee wrote:

There's also a NASCAR driver who's autistic.

I'm curious if Armani Williams will ever make it to the Cup series. Right now he's part-time in the Xfinity Series and in ARCA.

It's kinda like describing someone as an MLB player when they mostly play AA and high A, or as an NHL player when they've only actually played a few games in the AHL and mostly play in the ECHL. Yes, they're in the development pipeline but it's no guarantee they'll make it into the big show.

WantToHaveALife
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28 Jun 2024, 7:40 pm

i would imagine its easier to keep track of the stats on this since after all, car registration and drivers license does go into government records.

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