Why is driving so difficult?

I wrote the driver’s exam five times.  The first time, I failed because I yielded instead of coming to a full stop at a stop sign.  The second time, I failed because I didn’t accelerate enough after making a right turn.  The third time, I was driving 30 kilometers per hour in a school zone (but the speed limit was 50 kilometers per hour in a school zone on the weekend).  The fourth time, I didn’t decelerate enough at a pedestrian crossing. 

The first thing that I did when I took a driving course, was that while driving in a parking lot, I accidentally hit the curb.  When I first drove on the actual road, I was distracted by cars on my left and right.  My driving instructor asked me to focus straight ahead.

When you start to drive, you have to think about everything constantly.  For example, with respect to changing into the right lane: you need to turn on the right signal, you need to shoulder check, check the back rear view mirror, and check the back right rear view mirror.  You need to practice multiple movements repeatedly until each movement is engrained in your muscle memory so that you respond automatically.

I encountered similar challenges when I go biking.  I get distracted if a friend pulls up beside me to chat.  I have to focus straight ahead to avoid collisions.  I get stressed out enough that my arms get burnt out from gripping the handles too tightly.  I realize that if I continue biking, I will learn to go faster and to relax.  However, since I don’t like the unpredictability of the weather outdoors, I avoid biking.  I also believe that it can be challenging for a person with Asperger’s Syndrome to overcome a hypersensitivity to motion, as it’s initially distracting to filter out motion on the left side and right side.


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