• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Eye Contact When Driving + Walking ???

Hopeless_Aspie_Guy

Well-Known Member
So when I'm driving I find I have a hard time looking at the driver if I've done something wrong and they've beeped/flashed me (if they drive past me I have to look straight ahead and if they're opposite me I have to look to the side and pretend I've not seen them) or more often it's that the other person is annoyed that I beeped them (or I just feel awkward afterweards) and again I struggle (due to it being really awkward and uncomfortable for me) to look directly at them (even though I'm in the right). It's kinda the conflict and the argueing that seems uncomfrotable to me (even though I've purposely retaliated in a controlled manor to scare other drivers in the past and am not afraid of anything as drastic as a physical confrontation, though I typically diplomatically avoid this). The same issue holds true to traffic lights with cars either side of me waiting with me (though not quite as bad as the aforementioned one).

The other time I have issues with eye contact is walking towards total strangers in areas where it's just me and the other person (i.e a narrow walkway or alleyway). I just feel like I'm gonna be accussed of starring at them if I look at them, so I try to look past them instead. No problems in crowded or busy places (ui.e shops), but just the more quiet ones.

Does anyone else have non standard eye contact issues (as this kind doesn't seem to get mentioned very often).
 
I have some of the same issues driving that you do. When I need to make eye contact, I look at the nose or mouth rather than the eyes. Most people don't know the difference.
 
Actually, I believe the best thing to do with an enraged driver is to NOT look at them. At any rate, the best defensive strategy in a road rage situation is not to stop, but if stopped for some reason, DO NOT get out of your vehicle and DO NOT shut it off. If someone is trying to assault you, remember that your vehicle is a means of escape AND a weapon in one! The moment a hand comes thru my window, the gas gets floored if there is a way to move, forward or backward. I will not hesitate.
 
Actually, I believe the best thing to do with an enraged driver is to NOT look at them. At any rate, the best defensive strategy in a road rage situation is not to stop, but if stopped for some reason, DO NOT get out of your vehicle and DO NOT shut it off. If someone is trying to assault you, remember that your vehicle is a means of escape AND a weapon in one! The moment a hand comes thru my window, the gas gets floored if there is a way to move, forward or backward. I will not hesitate.

TBH I have no problem being aggresive towards another driver (only of course if they've done so to me to begin with) and if I stopped at the traffic lights and they got out to approach me in the car then it's easy for me to intimidate them (without feeling any fear myself) because in my head I have pre-arranged personalities/scripts that I can easily act on and I no from limited past experience that I'm very good at intimidating others when diplomacy fails, but when it doesn't get to that unlikely stage I certainly find that looking at them is very hard and pointless, but definitely hard. I guess I just don't like to be persecuted by someone else and never understand why they need to see your face, does it really matter who accidentalluy pulled out on them :oops:, do you need to see his/her face that you'll forget in an instant anyway?!?!?
 
Last edited:
I once made eye contact with an angry driver when trying to merge onto a very busy road. I was just enough ahead of him to merge before he did, and he very angrily started following me. If I changed lanes, he did. If I exited, he did. I didn't know what to do, so I kept exiting and getting back on the highway and he finally drove off. I was very frightened!
 
I once made eye contact with an angry driver when trying to merge onto a very busy road. I was just enough ahead of him to merge before he did, and he very angrily started following me. If I changed lanes, he did. If I exited, he did. I didn't know what to do, so I kept exiting and getting back on the highway and he finally drove off. I was very frightened!
I actually had that happen before, I drove in a loop and called the police. He saw me on my phone and left finally.
 
Unfortunately when this happened I did not have a cell phone. If I had known where the police station was, I would have gone directly there!
 
When I am driving on a through street and have the right of way, I like to make eye contact with drivers stopped at stop signs on side streets. Then I know that they have seen me and are not going to pull out in front of me. If they are not looking at me, it makes me wary. It seems like people do not notice me, I have several near misses and two wrecks in the last few years. All due to people pulling out in front of me. Both wrecks were with my truck and a small car. Needless to say, the cars came out second best. At least no one was hurt, but it is still a alarming trend.
 
When I am driving on a through street and have the right of way, I like to make eye contact with drivers stopped at stop signs on side streets. Then I know that they have seen me and are not going to pull out in front of me. If they are not looking at me, it makes me wary. It seems like people do not notice me, I have several near misses and two wrecks in the last few years. All due to people pulling out in front of me. Both wrecks were with my truck and a small car. Needless to say, the cars came out second best. At least no one was hurt, but it is still a alarming trend.

After giving it some more thought, I believe that cell phones are the reason for this trend of inattentive driving.
 
I don't drive but I have the same issue with walking, except that I also have problems with crowded/busy places as well.
 
Needless to say, the cars came out second best.
Do you drive an evil HGV (heavy goods vehicle) then? Those kinda trucks are designed to smash.

After giving it some more thought, I believe that cell phones are the reason for this trend of inattentive driving.
In the UK they've recently upped the points on your license to 6 for this violation.

I don't drive but I have the same issue with walking, except that I also have problems with crowded/busy places as well.
Lose the axe and people might feel less awkward :rolleyes::D:smirk:
 

New Threads

Top Bottom