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What is the percentage of people with autism that have cars/drivers license? because i've noticed that a lot of people with autism don't drive

S

Steelbookcollector217

Well-Known Member
For the past several years or longer, a large portion of people i've spoken to, interacted with that have autism, are on the spectrum, a lot don't have cars or a drivers license, and one guy i'm in contact with, who also has autism, he mentions that 5 of his friends/acquaintences, who are also on the autism spectrum, don't have a car or drivers license.

That has never been the case for me, i've been a licensed car driver since i was 18, and i have high functioning autism. I would imagine or assume that keeping statistics about this is easier since afterall, getting a drivers license or car registration goes into government records.

But yeah, overall, how come a large portion of people with autism don't have cars or a drivers license? what other health issues do a lot of people with autism have that prevent them from driving a car?
 
I can only speak for myself. I have a driver's license, no car and avoid to drive when I can. I fairly like the mechanics of driving, but I hate to deal with the other drivers on the road. Everything's so hectic and needs to happen straight away. It often takes me a bit to process things. Also, due to early childhood strabismus (squinting), I don't have normally developed 3D sight, which makes it harder for me to guess the car's dimensions and to guess how quickly a fast-driving car will be next to me, which is particularly annoying when entering a highway.
 
I found online that one out of three young autistic have driving licence (but don't trust to much, "young" is undefined). I think it depends from the problems you have, related with autism. In my situation, for example, I haven't it and I think I will never get it because I have a problem with physical coordination and with anxiety, so driving is not for me
 
I add that in some countries your right to have driving licence must be confirmed by a special commission if you're diagnosed autistic
 
its possible it must be the people i've interacted with, but yeah, even though this is off topic, its another reminder on how i view conversations or interactions from a different perspective now, but yeah, what are the main common issues associated with autism that cause lots of autistic people to not drive or don't have cars?
 
I have a car and avoid driving as much as possible. I just don't like too.

I have found owning a manual is a better way to make me pay attention to the road. Keeps all my limbs distracted. It is not an exciting car either.
 
I do have a license but I've never had a car because I can't afford one and I get free bus rides (because I work for a bus company, not driving of course). But I live in a very busy city where the accident rate is higher than most other cities and there are a lot of aggressive drivers and confusing roads. There's one roundabout where you practically go left around instead of right, which is really confusing, as when I was taking my driving lessons I was told that EVERY roundabout in the UK is required to go right around, never left. But this particular one is left and can be very confusing even as a passenger.
 
A lot of the statistics such as not having a job, a driver's license, a partner, social network, I believe come from basing those statistics on those who have large enough difficulties to need official diagnoses and large assistance.

I've been driving since I was 18, do so daily and I'm a good driver. I'm very good at anything manual and spatial, including driving and sports. It's not a thing among autistic people I know and hang out with.
 
Living in a big city, I notice a lot of people don't drive here. Public transport is good quality and traffic jams are awful.
 
I drove for 50 years never an accident had stroke my wife likes to drive so I stepped aside two accidends I'M not giving up my licence. First accident not her fault. I would not have put myself in this situation Their is just some stuff that you cannot teach , like how to think like me. Example I never buy gas on the right side of road if I know another station on left side exists, near by. You cannot control other drivers behavior so anticipate it.I have no fear of driving tractors , trucks cars no issue, traffic no issue.
 
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I have a license and a perfect driving record, except one speeding ticket when I was late picking up my daughter from preschool. I've been driving cars and ATVs since I was about eight (ranch kid). Driving is probably my biggest autism superpower, because I can feel the distance between the cars and mathematically calculate speed and distance. Also I can feel the engine's needs by how it's running.
 
I started driving at 13, taking Mum's car for joy rides whenever my parents were out. I couldn't wait to get my license. In South Australia you used to be able to get a learner's permit at 15 + 9 months, which is what I did, and I applied for my full license the day I turned 16.

It was only a few months later and I was working, and I bought my first car, an XY Ford Falcon. Second hand from one of my uncles, $200.

I always loved driving and still do. I don't have a car at the moment but that's not because I can't afford one, it's because there's nothing but rubbish for sale in Australia at the moment.
 
ManuelXX said:
I found online that one out of three young autistic have driving licence (but don't trust to much, "young" is undefined). I think it depends from the problems you have, related with autism. In my situation, for example, I haven't it and I think I will never get it because I have a problem with physical coordination and with anxiety, so driving is not for me
Click to expand...

To clarify the 'young' aspect:

'In the first large study to look at driver’s licensing rates among those with autism, researchers found that about a third of those on the spectrum with no intellectual disability received a license by age 21.'

Most With Autism Steer Clear Of Driving

The Study referred to: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1362361317699586
 
When I had my stroke the one of the therapists accessing me could not believe I could drive do to my compulsion to read every, how could I concentrate on driving. What can I say I read fast.
 
I'm clumsy/a bit dyspraxic but I did learn to drive however never took a test except for a moped. I passed. But didn't want to drive, and living in cities public transport was easy enough. I didn't want the responsibility of a car, not knowing how they work or how to maintain them.

I was mostly on my own and it seemed too much hassle. When in the longer relationships I've had, of several years, we had a car to which I contributed but didn't drive. Including now. Think I'm too nervous and dyspraxic to be a safe driver, now anyways. My partner is a really good driver. Which doesn't stop me pointing out hazards etc. Passenger seat driver...
 
I have a very old car which I've driven an excessive amount of miles. It has nearly 300,000 on it and when I ended up with it it had about 188,000 so the math right there says I've put serious miles on the old thing which has me worrying it'll quit sooner than later.
 
I got a pro license at age 16 + two weeks to pretend I needed the practice. I was driving manual, on glare ice, on a test with a 50% failure rate. I let it lapse during the decades I depended on a bicycle, but have done quite a few long, fast trips, and had some years of driving cab. I've driven a big U-Haul truck on two 3-day moves, once with a car trailer. The day the Gulf War started, I switched from enjoying sporty driving to enjoying super-economy skills instead. Now, I drive so seldom that it makes me anxious, but the skills still kick in when I need them. However, for the last three decades, cars have only been getting heavier and harder to fix. If I were young, I'd try to avoid them as much as possible. Bicycling skills open up many surprising opportunities.
 
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