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

[WhitewaterWoman]

I’ve had a drivers license and car since I was 16 years old. I don’t particularly like to drive, but up until I retired, I drove a lot. This past summer I drove some 6000 miles in 2 months. I went miles out of my way to avoid toll roads that would not take cash.

I’m not a perfect driver by any means. I’ve had a few tickets over my lifetime. A few fender bender type accidents and a couple more serious ones. Luckily I have never been seriously injured. None of the accidents were my fault.

 

[Jonn]

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.

Same...

And I had two motorcycles.
Yes, I had a death-wish for a decade when I was young.

 

[Jonn]

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.

Many ppl on the spectrum are financially challenged.
This may have a big impact on car ownership.

 

[Masaniello]

I finally got a driver's licence at 34 years and my first (and only) car about 7 years ago. It would have been nice to get those things earlier but there's no point dwelling on that. Perhaps I would have had an accident earlier.

 

[GrownupGirl]

I don't drive, I don't have a driver's license. I am very certain my Asperger's and dyscalculia would negatively affect my driving. And it sucks because in Canada people need vehicles to drive practically anywhere. It's even worse than the USA in my opinion. Seriously, I'd have to drive for over 5 hours each way just to go to a Build-a-Bear store, so unfair.

 

[Crossbreed]

(This thread needs a poll.)

I got my driver's license closer to 19. I failed the driving test two or three times before I finally passed it. I have had a good driving record since.
I am not "into" driving, but I appreciate the convenience for shopping and running errands.
I get a little more on edge in heavy traffic (like in Milwaukee), but I am still careful.

Many ppl on the spectrum are financially challenged.
This may have a big impact on car ownership.

I have been without a car from time-to-time, but would usually get a used one as soon as possible.

This has been my second "car" for 42 years...! Argali bike

And I had two motorcycles.
Yes, I had a death-wish for a decade when I was young.

@Jonn, do you know how to spot a happy motorcyclist?
By the number of bugs in his teeth...!

 

[Jonn]

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 do roughly 3,000 km/year or less these days.
My car is around 8 years old and has only about 42k km on the clock.
It may be the last one.

BTW, I wouldn't buy an EV in a pink fit.

 

[Jonn]

By the number of bugs in his teeth...!

An oldie but a goodie.

 

[Neri]

I don't (yet) drive. I'm 51. I haven't given up hopes of driving. I'm getting some support and hope to use it to help me get my license. I have gotten some driving practise in the past and made inroads into (re)getting my learners, again. The reasons for me not getting my license thus far are complicated and long winded and I won't bore you with the deets right now

 

[Aneka]

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 drive daily since being an 18 years old, but parking lots are still the enemy.

I love driving however

 

[Jeff T]

Have a driver's license and have been driving since 16. Driving was necessary for my job.
Since retirement I do not get out much, and plan things to avoid rush hour.
Part of the reason are the 5 accidents caused by the other driver. But I did cause two accidents as well.

 

[Forest Cat]

You could make a poll, then you get some statistics on the subject.

 

[Forest Cat]

do you know how to spot a happy motorcyclist?
By the number of bugs in his teeth...!

Do you know how to measure how much fun a car ride or motorcycle ride is? Smiles per gallon.

 

[WildCat]

I've been driving since the age of 21. I was apprehensive when I first started, but over time got comfortable with it. Never been in a serious accident, though I've had a few minor traffic violations and citations, all of which have been long dismissed and/or taken care of.

I'm very good with visual-spatial thinking and perception, both of which I believe actually give me something of an edge when it comes to driving and other tasks that require those skills.

 

[AspieChris]

I’ve had a license since I was 18. Between my job and ny personal life, I have driven about 500,000 miles in the last 30 years. I didn’t even know I was on the spectrum until 15 years ago.

So if I was part of the statistic I would have been excluded for part of my life, and included for another part.

Statistics can be impossibly inaccurate.

 

[MildredHubble]

It took me an unusually long amount of time to get my licence. Due to the circumstances I was in when I was at an age most people learn to drive in the UK, it was basically impossible for me to start learning. I was 28 when I learned to drive.

I actually took to it quite well. I put that down to having learned how cars work mechanically. Knowing how a transmission and clutch work is very handy when learning to drive in the UK as we tend to drive manual transmission cars.

Knowing how the car was likely to behave based on what I was doing with the pedals and the steering just made me feel more relaxed.

Usually I'm extremely clumsy when I learn a new skill. It can seem to take me longer than most people and people teaching me can get frustrated. But once things "click" I'm usually at least as good as other people.

I like the kinda repetitive actions and forward planning involved and I think I'm pretty good at it. I've never had a speeding ticket or anything like that. I had one accident unfortunately, almost exactly one year after I had passed my test. My car just aquaplaned and I think if I had more experience at the time, I could have avoided it.

It did wobble my confidence a lot at the time though. I was hyper vigilant and I constantly replayed the event in my head, trying to figure out what I could have done better. Eventually I learned how to cadence brake if I'm driving a car without anti locking brakes.

Hopefully I will never have a car accident again.

Some people seem to enjoy taking risks while driving. I prefer to be as careful and precise as possible each time I get behind the wheel

 

[Judge]

Been a licensed automobile driver for 52 years and five months.

About the only thing I consider my autism over driving is that multitasking have always remained my greatest challenge in driving. That ability to be hyper-aware of everything around you. Other drivers, pedestrians, traffic signs and a sense of knowing where you are going in every direction.

And it never ends. It demands a great deal from us mentally and visually speaking. Where frankly I don't take it for granted as much as I did before discovering my own autism.

 

[Shevek]

I drive. But I will go quite a few miles out of the way to avoid congested traffic.

One time, I had to drive right through Omaha for the first time during morning rush hour. I couldn't focus on picking out the route markers from the maze of other signs and also check my rear view mirrors, so I just passed everything.

 

[Jonn]

I'm very good with visual-spatial thinking and perception, both of which I believe actually give me something of an edge when it comes to driving and other tasks that require those skills.

So am I, even at my age, but I know there will come a time when it diminishes.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

One time, I had to drive right through Omaha for the first time during morning rush hour. I couldn't focus on picking out the route markers from the maze of other signs and also check my rear view mirrors, so I just passed everything.

In Canada this past summer, en route to Saskatchewan, Canada, I was driving through Thunder Bay, ONT, and the signs were getting confusing as you describe.

Suddenly, I saw a huge sign saying: BRIDGE TO AMERICA.

That’s when I knew I was going the wrong way.

In previous years, before GPS, I could never drive through Montreal without getting lost. As it was on the way to most of my canoeing destinations back then, getting lost in Montreal was an annual event.