Handling Police Interactions And How It Relates To Being Autistic And Learning To Drive

Now, this is a very complicated topic with a lot to talk about and unpack. This post will only scratch the surface and we can even only go so far in depth in our webinar. We all know Police Interactions are a part of driving, and they are a major concern for autistic individuals and their families alike. Being autistic complicates these situations in ways police officers often aren’t even aware of, and that can make these situations dangerous. These conversations need to be had with care and autistic individuals are not involved in these conversations nearly enough. Because of all of this, we want to be very clear about how we discuss Handling Police Interactions in our webinar, but we also want to be clear that there is much more to talk about, especially on a deeper level, that we will not be covering. Our goal at Driving With Autism is to prepare autistic individuals to make informed decisions about driving, and we believe covering this topic and how it relates to feeling, and being, prepared for driving, are necessary for that goal.

One thing we want to highlight in this post is the importance of having open conversations in our personal lives as well as in environments such as Driving With Autism’s webinar or consulting sessions. We wish these conversations were more commonplace in driving schools and drivers education programs, but for now, they really aren’t. Many parents we’ve talked to are very worried about their children driving due to fears about how they would handle police interactions. In a lot of these situations we at Driving With Autism stress the value of talking with their new driver about what to do if they are ever approached and stopped by police. Having it happen without any directions can make that first experience terrifying for the new driver. It is better when the autistic new driver has had these conversations, so they have a framework to work with in the future if a situation like that arises. Another idea is scheduling a coffee day with an officer to discuss autism. Building connections and awareness through these kinds of chats can be very valuable, especially with a future full of unknowns.

This is why the fifth topic we cover in our webinar Training Series is Understanding Police Interactions and Solutions. This topic focuses on showing why police interactions while driving often happens and how to navigate them, as miscommunications with the police can be very serious. We will go over a typical interaction while following a script to familiarize attendees with situations that can occur. Above all, we want every autistic driver to feel and be safe, especially in intense situations such as those with police.

Learn more about our supportive webinar series for Driving With Autism and the other topics it covers.

Contact us for autism-centered virtual education driving school training.