Many people think driving is simply steering a car and following the rules of the road. In reality, it’s one of the most remarkable things our brains do. Every second, your brain gathers information from your eyes, ears, muscles, joints, skin, nose, and inner ears, combines it all, and helps you make dozens of decisions without you even realizing it.
Most of us never stop to think about that because, with experience, many parts of driving become automatic. (Let’s focus on that word experience. I’m going to say it early and often, no matter which driving barriers we’re looking at in any particular chapter, the more you practice and get experience, the less any of these barriers is going to jump up and block you from driving. Research consistently shows that there is very little difference between experienced autistic drivers and their neurotypical counterparts.)
If you’re autistic, however, your nervous system may process some of that information differently. Sensory input that another driver barely notices may remain vivid for you and require conscious attention, which means your brain probably just has a different pattern of filtering and processing information.
Once we know where the demands of driving come from, we can begin reducing unnecessary sensory load, choosing helpful strategies, and making the driving environment work better for your nervous system rather than expecting your nervous system to work like everyone else’s. I’m putting a list of “action steps” you can take at the end of Part 2 of this section.)
Let’s begin by looking at the different kinds of information your brain is processing every time you get behind the wheel.
Vision: Driving Is Primarily a Visual Task
Of all the senses involved in driving, vision provides the greatest amount of information.
The moment the car starts moving, your eyes begin collecting an astonishing amount of information. Cars merge into traffic, brake unexpectedly, or disappear into your mirrors. Traffic lights cycle from green to yellow to red. Road signs appear just long enough to deliver their message before they’re behind you. Pedestrians stroll through crosswalks. Cyclists weave through traffic. You spot a child on a sidewalk who might—or might not—step into the road. Billboards, storefronts, and intersections flash by. Construction zones have cones, flashing lights, temporary lane markings, workers, and lane shifts.
At the same time, your brain is estimating speed and distance, judging how quickly other vehicles are moving, monitoring your position within the lane, and scanning ahead for potential hazards. Whew─it’s a lot for any new driver!
Many of my patients tell me that simply staying centered between the lane markings requires tremendous concentration. Knowing where you are in the lane depends on efficient visual processing working together with your vestibular and proprioceptive systems. (More on those in the next section.)
Lighting and weather conditions can make these demands even greater. Bright sunlight may feel glaring. Night driving may become stressful because headlights seem painfully bright. Rain at dusk or after dark creates reflections on the road that can be uncomfortable to look at and difficult to interpret. I’ve had trouble seeing at dusk my whole life and simply avoid it when I can.
No section on vision would be complete without mentioning one of the most valuable resources available to you: developmental optometry and vision therapy.
I send over half of my patients for vision therapy and special prism lenses. Many autistic drivers tell me they can finally tell where they are in the lane, experience significantly less visual fatigue, greater confidence behind the wheel, and improved driving safety.
You can get a free copy of my 85-page booklet when you sign up for my newsletters here. (If you just want the free book, no worries, just unsubscribe from the newsletter, it won’t hurt my feelings!)
Movement: Your Vestibular and Proprioceptive Systems
Your vestibular system, located in the inner ear, detects movement, balance, and changes in speed.
Your proprioceptive system, located in your muscles, tendons, joints, and skin, provides information about where your body and limbs are in space.
Although we talk about vision, the vestibular system, and proprioception separately, your brain doesn’t experience them as separate systems. Researchers often refer to this as multisensory integration. Your brain isn’t running three separate programs that take turns talking. They’re all working together every moment you’re driving.
Your visual system is constantly telling your brain where you are in relation to everything around you. It’s helping you judge the lane markings, the curve ahead, and whether that pickup truck is drifting a little too close for comfort.
The vestibular system (in the inner ear) tells you how your head is moving. It detects acceleration, deceleration, turning, tilting, and changes in speed—even with your eyes closed.
Proprioception tells you where your body and limbs are positioned. It lets you know where your hands are on the steering wheel, how much pressure you’re putting on the brake pedal, and how your body is positioned in the seat.
These three systems─vision, vestibular and proprioception─all work together to know where you are in space and are super important for everything from staying in your lane, to merging, passing, and ding-free parking. Your brain continuously compares all three sources, and when they agree, you have a stable sense of where you are and how you’re moving.
This is especially relevant to autism
There’s growing evidence that some autistic individuals integrate information from multiple sensory systems differently than non-autistic individuals. 1, 2, 3, 4 Researchers believe this may also extend to body-based sensory systems such as proprioception and vestibular input, although this area is still being actively studied. The exact pattern varies considerably from person to person.
A driving example
Imagine you’re taking a gentle right-hand curve.
Your visual system sees the road curving to the right.
Your vestibular system feels your head and body moving sideways because of the turn.
Your proprioceptive system feels your hands turning the steering wheel and your body leaning slightly against the seat.
Those three systems all agree, so your brain has an accurate picture of what’s happening.
Now imagine driving in heavy fog.
The visual information becomes much less reliable. Suddenly, you depend much more on your vestibular and proprioceptive systems to judge movement. That’s one reason fog can feel so disorienting.
Conversely, if you’re sitting in a parked car beside another vehicle and that vehicle starts to move, you may briefly feel as though you’re moving. Your visual system says you’re rolling backward, while your vestibular system says you’re stationary. For a second or two, your brain has to resolve the conflict.
When these systems work together efficiently, driving feels smooth and predictable.
When one system has to work harder (or when your brain processes these streams of information differently)—such as driving in heavy rain, at night, or in dense fog—it can take more effort to judge your position on the road or feel confident navigating traffic. That’s one reason those conditions often feel more demanding. Your visual system is providing less information, so your brain has to depend more heavily on movement and body awareness to maintain a sense of where you are on the road.
One mother brought her teen driver to me and confided that he keeps busting the tires on the curb when he tried to parallel park. I told her to get him to the developmental optometrist right away, with one caveat─someone else had to drive him there!
Modern driving technology can provide excellent support. Backup cameras, parking sensors, surround-view cameras, and audible warning systems all reduce the amount of estimation your brain has to do. Whenever people ask whether those features are worth having, I usually tell them to get as much technology as their budget allows.
I’m going to end Part 1 and invite you to join me next time for Part 2 of Inside the Car: Understanding the Sensory Experience of Driving where we’ll keep going and look at touch, vibration, sound, and smell, and how they impact the driving experience.
Then I’ll wrap it all up with a short Action Plan you can start using right away.
Want to See the Research?
- Audiovisual multisensory integration in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Feldman JI, Dunham K, Cassidy M, Wallace MT, Liu Y, Woynaroski TG. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2018 Dec;95:220-234. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.09.020. Epub 2018 Oct 1. PMID: 30287245; PMCID: PMC6291229.
- Sensory integration and the perceptual experience of persons with autism. Iarocci G, McDonald J. J Autism Dev Disord. 2006 Jan;36(1):77-90. doi: 10.1007/s10803-005-0044-3. PMID: 16395537.
- Toward an interdisciplinary approach to understanding sensory function in autism spectrum disorder. Cascio CJ, Woynaroski T, Baranek GT, Wallace MT. Autism Res. 2016 Sep;9(9):920-5. doi: 10.1002/aur.1612. Epub 2016 Apr 19. PMID: 27090878; PMCID: PMC5564205.
- Sensory processing in autism: a review of neurophysiologic findings. Marco EJ, Hinkley LB, Hill SS, Nagarajan SS. Pediatr Res. 2011 May;69(5 Pt 2):48R-54R. doi: 10.1203/PDR.0b013e3182130c54. PMID: 21289533; PMCID: PMC3086654.