Okay, Will, I really like the video. Thanks for posting. It's amazing how games such as the
Gran Turismo series manage to capture the physics and feel for real-life driving. I've always liked racing games, and I always assumed that the real thing is quite the opposite. A friend of mine told me that it's much easier to crash in racing games than in real life, so that gave me some hope. (This is the same friend who taught me to treat the shifter as though you were palming a nipple.
)
Ahem. That said, I think I will eventually like driving once I get over the initial anxieties related to learning and my underestimating of my abilities (everyone who's cared to comment has told me I'm actually a good driver, both technically and in demeanour/courtesy).
Martian, I have my G2, so I can go on the highways by myself and anytime I want. I just can't drink alcohol at all and there has to be as many seat belts as passengers. I've been on the highway, but only a limited time, and it was a few years ago. It was, however, while driving a late-eighties model manual-transmission Toyota Celica. I have several hours of professional in-car instruction driving in the City of Toronto. I just need to grow my wings, as it were.
My ultimate problem is what I mentioned about anxiety regarding multitasking and spatial awareness. Once I get used to driving, I'm sure this will go away. I'm fine on a bike in traffic, but riding a bike is so automatic to me now. I need to get over my issues of taking responsibility for control. I'm so used to someone else driving the vehicle I'm in. I'm just not that used to piloting so much metal and so much power on the roads.
I can pretty much say that once I get enough experience, driving will be quite a pleasure to me. I just need the inspiration to encourage me to practice and put in the time to get to that point. I want to be calm and confident for my test.
I do have a (mainly closeted) fascination for cars. I've obsessed over Subarus and a few other Japanese makes. I love the throaty growl of the Porsche engine, and the raw, sheer power of the American muscle car. I obsess over well-made and highly efficient automobiles such as the Japanese compacts. High-end European models turn my head. (Yes, this is, and is becoming, a great city for sighting fine automobiles.) I've been living in a fantasy world with regard to driving. Making it a reality has been a big step for me to take.