RE: Driving With Asperger's

[Guest guest]

Interesting discussion, and I just have to tell you my story.

In Australia, to my knowledge, we don’t have any driving

training at school. I recall my American wife telling me how she

did. Big advantage, undoubtedly.

Now left to myself, I possibly would never have learnt to

drive. But it must have been when I was about 68 that my business

partner (film producer), dragged me out to his car and got me to learn.

I always had doubts about my coordination, in regard to hands feet and mental

alertness. As a school student, I’d failed at Shorthand

because of it. I can touch type, but am very slow and am constantly

going back over the last lines I’ve done in order to correct

them. Failed on the Piano, because my co-ord failed

again. Could never skip (jump rope for you Americans.)

Dancing was just impossible and literally painful.

I didn’t hurry through my learning stage, at driving that

is; and it took me some four months to master it all. Luckily my

teacher is an expert at giving training, having driven just about any normal

vehicle over the years, including piloting planes. And so, with his

excellent tuition. I duly passed the test first time

up. It must be understood though, that I had been riding a

Motor Scooter for some 10 years so I was reasonably used to the road and its

rules and dangers. I was very very wary about the

process. Though I did learn the rules fairly well. Reminds

me of just how blasted long it took me to learn to use a computer.

I had the dickens of a job getting myself used to the ‘mouse’.

Hated having to twiddle my forefinger for left and right clicks.

These are the things that hit me about it.

Driving a motor car is in many ways a very ‘social’ thing to

do. On a scooter, I was under nobody’s scrutiny, and I didn’t

have to share the ‘vehicle’ with anyone. Notice that in

swimming, driving, drinking and of course dancing, one tends to be sharing so

much with other people. They are just such social

things. And I simply didn’t do any of them.

In my inner Aspie world, then, I was not involved significantly with others. Just

did it all and anything by myself. Not generally mixing with

my peers (if indeed I had any!) i just wanted to pursue day to day

life by myself; and getting together with significant others was simply what I

would describe as ‘business’. Another thing, it did seem

like a very difficult and dangerous thing to do, that is to drive a

car. Huge responsiblity. Naturally there are emergency

situations when I have no choice but to beg a lift from friends and

associates.

I don’t know what your American drive training

demands. We have to get first of all, an L plate to show on the car

along with our Learners Permit. Then usually after a year or

so, you could apply for a P plate to go on the car, which you have to have on

display for some three years. In my case, since I had driven a

Motor Scooter for several years, I didn’t have to get the P

classification. Presumably after a few years on a Motor bike or Scooter,

it is assumed by the powers that be, that you have passed your apprenticeship

on the roads, and so long as you can appropriately get your head around the

extra complexities of the car, you can go straight on to the full car license

after the Learners License.

As it happened, I turned out to be a pretty good driver, and I

simply loved driving. Always desperately keen to remain safe and

courteous towards the other road users. Never had any sort of accident

on the road, though I did have a couple of minor bashes, front and rear, when I

was on my own property, or on the grass verge outside my house. Oh yes,

I did pick up a couple of speeding tickets; and I make no excuse for

that. Generally stayed out of trouble, interestingly enough within my

first 4 years of driving, i must have driven upwards of 30-35 cars and wagons that

were put at my disposal by my mate. Got used to all sorts of

vehicles, especially with a number of Mercedes. My aforesaid boss, was

confident enough with my driving to practice on loads of different cars. Just

perhaps, after spending year after year of Aspie characteristics, I

finished up a much better driver in my ‘old age’, than I might ever

have been as a much younger person.

Sadly of course for now, I simply am not able to drive a

car. The unpredictable vagaries of my still rather ‘spastic’

feet and rigid lower legs, mean that I cant safely use my right foot on the

pedals. A big nuisance, I must say. Just in the

near future, I shall be looking seriously into the business of getting a car

fitted with hand operated controls. Don’t know if anything like

this happens in other parts of the world, but once I get some tests done in

sight of an Occupational Therapist, I am entitled (with my disability) to car

modifications worth up to some ten thousand dollars for free. Keep

in mind that in Oz we drive on the left side of the road, and naturally the steering

wheel pedals, and all controls are situated on the right front seat.

So I was told that these clever devils may possibly decide that I could readily

be taught have the accelerator pedal to the left of the brake

pedal. If I prove to be unable to train the left foot to do it all,

they may have to put all the controls in and about the steering wheel.

My present Therapist, a ‘MYO’ specialist is

indicating to me that he has high hopes of me getting usable feet again, so

long as I practice the multitude of exercise he is prescribing. Oh,

and he has insisted on me going for specialized exercises to a heated pool at

the Aquatic centre, in a nearby part of town. (costs $4.50 per untimed

session.) Seems confident that I can get to be a lot better.

For those who don’t know, almost three years back, I

had to have surgery to remove a benign tumor from the spinal cord. After

a month and a half in a Melbourne private hospital (all financially covered by

my health insurance) in a state of paralysis of the legs, I had to

go through a further six weeks at a rather depressing rehab hospital,

conveniently situated here in our city of Ballarat. Came out of the

latter having to walk rather clumsily on elbow crutches. Certainly

some distinct improvements. Now I can use a walking cane when

I leave the house, - most commonly to do my shopping. Takes me

upwards of an hour and a half to walk, do my shopping and get back home. Interesting

that Australian statistics indicate that disabled drivers are reputed to be

much safer than the regular drivers.

Somehow, I am not really at all surprised that Spectrum people

frequently get to learn driving much later than others. My last attempts

at driving were rather dismal; and at present I would never subject all the ‘great

unwashed’ out there, to cope with my risky self. I was in

those earlier days, not at all likely to fit in with all others of my gender

and age to automatically get self a car.

Rather unimpressed by peer pressure.

Cheers, Ron

Subject: Re: Re:

Article~The Challenge of Driving With Asperger’s

I learned to drive in California in the 1970s.

Driver Education was mandatory in high school. One of the gadgets in class was

able to test reaction time, another tested depth perception. My reaction time

is slower than average (possibly AS linked), and I have no depth perception

(not AS related at all).

I am a slow physical learner ... I didn't get my license until I was 24. But I

am quite a good driver, with no moving violations and only 2 accidents in the

31 years I've been driving. I understand my limits and weaknesses, and

compensate for them. I don't tailgate, or drive unpredictably. I am the

dictator in the car, even when my kids were toddlers, they knew when Mom said

" Quiet! I need quiet to drive safely here! " they had to stop making

noise.

I am a better driver than many NTs.