Autism and Driving

I feel like I need to write about this, as its pretty relevant to my current life.

I passed my driving test about a month ago. I continued the theme within my family of passing first time - and I passed with only two minors.

I got a comment on tiktok a while ago. I don't remember exactly what it was, but in essence, it said "autistic people shouldn't be allowed to drive."

This irritated me. Even at the time, still a learner, I knew I was a decent driver, especially for how long i'd been driving for/how many lessons I'd had. I was often commended for my driving by my instructor. By all accounts, I'm a good driver. So why do these people believe autistic people shouldn't be allowed to drive?

Most of the people who would say these types of things know nothing about autism. They just know its a disability that affects neurological function, and in their brains, that means autism = stupid. They think we could never possibly grasp all the things we need to grasp to be able to drive. But I, and many other autistic drivers, are proof against that.

For one, I can drive manual (or stick shift, I believe it's called in the states). There are plenty of neurotypicals out there who cannot drive manual, but to me, its easy. I don't think I'd find it any easier driving automatic, to be honest. I wouldn't know, as I've never driven automatic, but the gears are not an issue for me. I find the concept of the gears and the clutch easy to grasp, and easy to use.

The fact of the matter is, I passed my driving test first time. The examiner sat next to me as I drove around for 40 minutes or so, and he felt safe enough to say I could drive around alone without supervision. If he thought i wasn't safe to be on the road, he wouldn't have passed me, and I wouldn't have a license, so I'm living proof that its perfectly safe for autistic people to drive.

That being said, it is an individual thing. There are some autistic people who cannot drive, and could never drive safely. Autism is a spectrum, as we all know by now, and so while some autistic people can drive, and can drive incredibly well, others cannot, and will always rely on other and public transport to get around. It's up to the individual, those around them, and the DVSA to decide if they are safe to drive or not. But just because these individuals exist, does not mean that the same applies to every single autistic individual. Some can, some can't.

If you are autistic and are planning to start learning, then here is my advice.

Firstly - the biggest question for anyone learning to drive in the Uk: Automatic or manual?

I obviously learnt manual, but there are plenty of people who learn automatic, and in todays society it is completely acceptable to do so. Some people argue that learning manual is better, but don't let those people persuade you into doing something you don't want to do. Automatic cars are accessible enough in todays society that it won't greatly affect you if you learn automatic. However, if you believe you can learn manual, I would encourage it. It will give you access to a wider range of cars, as with a manual license, you can drive both manual and automatic cars. With an automatic license, you can only drive automatic cars, so having a manual license gives you more freedom as to what car you drive, but as I said, in todays world, automatic cars are becoming so common that theres not much of a difference in the market today. There are plenty of automatic cars out there.

If you're really not sure, you can always have a lesson or two in manual before you decide for sure. If you have a few lessons in manual and you really aren't getting the hang of it, you don't feel confident, or its too confusing, then you can always switch to an automatic and see if its any easier for you.

Secondly - feel free to shop around and try out different instructors. If you have a lesson with an instructor, and you feel like you don't vibe with them, the way they explain things is confusing to you, and you're not making progress in you're driving, its completely acceptable to move to a different instructor. Theres no point staying with an instructor that you can't learn with, and they shouldn't take it personally, because the reality is everyone learns differently. Different people will learn better with different methods, explanations, etc. I think its completely reasonable, if you're not progressing with an instructor, to try someone else, because otherwise you're wasting your money on lessons that aren't getting you anywhere.

Thirdly - communicate with your instructor, and try and help them understand how your autism may affect how you drive. If listening to music quietly in the background could help ease your nerves, let them know, and some may let you play quiet music so long as its not distracting. If they know what you struggle with and how it affects you, they can adjust the way they teach and adapt to you to try and give you the best outcome in your lessons.

Fourthly - Driving lessons can be tiring. I always found them mentally exhausting, because driving - esecially as a learner - takes a lot of intense focus. And especially as an autistic person, the way we process things means that we almost have to do double the processing that a neurotypical may while driving. Driving takes a lot of mental power, so make sure to have some time free after your driving lessons to rest and recouperate.

And fifthly - this may not be something you have access to, depending on your circumstances, but if you have access to a car to practice in, and someone to practice with, it can greatly improve your driving. I was lucky enough to have access to a car to practice in, and my mum to practice with, and I think this was one of the key reasons I was able to pass first time. I was driving regularly, to make sure I didn't lose any of the skills I had learnt, and built up muscle memory. For some people driving with a family member is a very negative experience, but for me, it was alright, and it was helpful to get some other perspectives.

While I consider myself a pretty good driver, there are still aspects of driving I find more difficult, and ways in which being autistic affects me while driving. Autism can affect driving in many ways:

• Processing speed - we tend to process things more slowly, and this can affect the way we drive. For me, I often struggle to process speed visually, meaning if i'm trying to pull out at a junction, for example, and a car is coming towards me, I cannot tell how fast it is moving towards me, nor how exactly far away it is, and therefore i struggle to know if it is safe for me to pull out or not. Most of the time i'll wait, and as I wait I start to realise I could have pulled out, but by the time I realise, it's too late and I have to wait. This doesn't make me a more dangerous driver though. It might just annoy the people behind me who have to wait a few moments longer, but hey, better safe than sorry.

• The sensory environment and stimming - It's not always easy to control the sensory environment of driving. Some cars can be loud, and theres nothing you can do about that. Some people will honk, and theres nothing you can do about that. And you also can't really stim to regulate yourself while driving. You're strapped down to a seat, having to stay focused, keep hands on the wheel, feet on the pedals, so there are very limited stimming options to regulate oneself while driving.

• staying focused - This was always one of my biggest fears before I started driving. I knew I had a tendency to zone out - still do - and I was horrified of the thought of me zoning out while driving and careening into a wall or the back of another car or something. To be honest, I do zone out while driving sometimes. Luckily for me, my brain seems to be nice enough to only start to zone out when i'm driving down clear straight roads, but it's still a little bit scary. I think having music playing sometimes help to keep me grounded and stop me from zoning out, but it can also be distracting sometimes.

• the social rules of driving - while we may know the legal rules of driving, the social rules can be harder to grasp. Like, when am I supposed to say thank you? Do i need to indicate here or not? What is this other driver going to do? Worrying that other drivers are judging you and your driving can also be difficult.

All in all, I actually find driving quite enjoyable, despite all the things I find difficult about it. It's funny, because before I ever started learning, I was adamant that I couldn't possibly care any less about driving. I had never cared about it. I mean, I didn't even start learning until I was 21, when I could have started learning at 17. I didn't see a need for it. I didn't care for it.

Then, of course, I had my first lesson, and got home feeling slightly salty, at the fact that i really enjoyed it... Safe to say I got a bit of a hyperfixation in driving. I watched a lot of videos by instructors on youtube and TikTok, and was eager to practice most of the time.

I still don't care about cars themselves though. You could name to me some car type and I likely wouldn't know what it is, unless its a car someone I know has or had. I just enjoy driving.

Driving alone is also quite freeing. Its scary the first time you do it, but after that, its very liberating. I can talk to myself with no fear of anyone hearing, sing along to music, and no one is there to watch me. Don't want to get too into the habit though. Or i'll start talking to myself while other people are with me. That wouldn't be good....

Anyway, hopefully this is helpful to people about to learn to drive, relatable for those who can, or just an enjoyable read.

Keep an eye out for future posts, and if you have any specific topic you want me to write about, feel free to leave a comment recommendation!