It is a requirement when you take a driving test that the assessor judge what you are looking at. That way, they can see if you’re checking for hazards.

This is impossible.

My attention does not move with my head. My retinas contain more light sensing rod cells at the periphery, which are better at detecting movement and hazards. People are better at sensing hazards at the edge of their field of view. It is impossible for an assessor to see a driver check for hazards at the edge of their view.

In order to pass a test, I must move my attention, my eyes, and my whole head when I look in the mirror or for other hazards. This is slow. I have autism. My attention already moves slowly. The added distraction of doing this is dangerous. I might as well be looking at my phone for all the trouble it causes me with paying attention.

Driving tests are fundamentally flawed and the job assessors are asked to do is impossible. You cannot see someone’s attention move when they are driving optimally. Driving tests require drivers to drive worse.

  • Excrubulent
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    9 months ago

    I took ages to get my license because I kept failing, and only found out later that the office where I was going was notorious for being impossible to pass. It’s just in a really dense area with enormous amounts of idiosyncratic bullshit that I’m sure 90% of licensed drivers get wrong. Like one time I failed because there were two gaps in the middle lines for turning, and no indication of which gap matched which side street, and I guessed wrong.

    After that I got an instructor that explained some of the BS things I needed to do to pass - even if nobody does them when driving - and I went to a quieter area to take the test. There are places people know to go to where it’s easier. Might be worth looking up if there’s any better places where you live.