New guidelines from AustRoads (who are responsible for driver and road safety guidelines across Australia and New Zealand) have been released in clandestine fashion, that jeopardise the legality of driver's licences held by autistic people. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-20/autism-driving-licences-new-standards/103108100

As if autistic people didn't already have enough problems to deal with, particularly with issues of independence and autonomy, this comes as a slap in the face. Their reason for this move is that autism is a condition which can impact on a person's ability to drive, and any such condition is required to be reported and renders a person subject to medical review. This is not necessarily as simple as a GP appointment, as autism is something frequently misunderstood by general practitioners. This means that autistic people may be required to pay thousands of dollars for specialised assessment, only to be denied the right to drive based on outdated assumptions.

Can autism impact one's ability to drive? Potentially. Co-occurring conditions are much more likely to impair someone than autism; these could be things like intellectual disability, ADHD, epilepsy, depression, and others that frequently exist alongside autism. Some officials have cited "deficits in nonverbal communication, physical stims, poorer motor control and poorer ability to adapt under pressure" as areas of concern. The first two hold little weight. Autistic people who struggle with social cues in humans tend to have no issues reading the language of machines, as machines lack the ability to lie and manipulate. Driving is a task that takes up a great deal of concentration and processing power, and so the act of driving should actually decrease the need for self-stimulatory behaviour, which may be why a sizeable percentage of autistic people find driving to be therapeutic. But the latter two are solid points which would almost grant this decision credibility, were it not for one glaringly obvious point.

What greater proof of our fitness to drive is there than by passing the same tests as every other person? Autistic people receive no special treatment with regards to the theory, hazard perception and practical assessments; we are required to sit the same tests as everyone else. It should follow that passing the same tests holds the same merit. If an autistic person greatly struggles with motor control, they would likely not be in a position where they would want to sit their practical assessment, let alone pass it with the same requirements expected of neurotypicals. If an autistic person greatly struggles with sensory overstimulation, they would find driving very difficult and may not attempt the practical test, let alone pass it with the same requirements expected of neurotypicals. But many autistic people do make good drivers. We have additional strengths because of our autism: we are better at memorising routes, we drive safer, and are more likely to obey traffic laws. It is hard to imagine these changes as anything other than the result of an untrained white collar doing a 5 minute Google search of "what is autism" and finding one study that supports their position. An autistic man is also leading the revolution of self-driving cars from his position as the founder and CEO of Tesla, maybe you've heard of him.

This is a scandalous and pathetic attempt to give an already marginalised people more hoops to jump through to obtain a basic right, bleeding the funding plans of those lucky enough to have them and the bank accounts of autistic people "not disabled enough" to be on NDIS, furthering the stigma and misinformation, and incentivising more people to deny themselves or their child a diagnosis out of fear the risks outweigh the benefits - a decision no-one should be forced to make. Please help us take a stand and right this wrong. We call on the Albanese government, the incoming Luxon government, the premiers of each state and territory, and AustRoads, to show compassion and reason.

AustRoads CEO: gallan@austroads.com.au

AustRoads HRM: mariam@tca.gov.au

AustRoads GM: pdavies@austroads.com.au

Write to your PM, your Transport Minister, your local MP, and let them know this is not OK.

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