Driving

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I'd say I'm pretty good for a seventeen (nearly eighteen) year old whom still doesn't have her liscense. The very first time I ever drove was September 2005 for a driving lesson at driver's ed. I went onto 56th Street, which is a very busy and possibly dangerous road in Indianapolis. At first I was a bit freaked for actually driving, but I got used to it really fast. There are some things I do have to watch out for though, such as not looking at really expensive cars for over a second, not looking at mansions, no daydreaming, and not talking too much. I also veered too far to the right of the road for a while, but I put a stop to that last spring. Mom says she'll take me to test for my liscense before my eighteenth birthday so we'll see what happens. I already have a car and a permit and everything, so yeah. Of course, the permit did expire on Halloween...

It took me 4 attempts before I eventually passed the test at the age of 35.My parents
didn't drive so that was a disadvantage.A few near misses put me off for a while but my
work moved to a place without public transport so I tried again.I found that it helped when
I read books by experienced drivers as well as learning more about how the engine worked etc as it made me feel more in control.I'm still cautious and there's always an element of fear but I think that's what holds me together when driving.

Don't drive in fear. If you're looking for an accident, you'll find one. Relax and pay attention and everyone else hopefully will.

Your poll left out people who've never been able to get a driver's license.

I think having been a passenger in so many accidents when I was younger tempered my 'mash the fast pedal!' tendencies in a big way.
I also feel very strongly about street racing, or even driving too fast. I'm not saying that people should stick to within 1mph+/- of the posted limit, just that... well, driving fast on a track is one thing, driving in traffic is something completely different. First of all, on a track, there're (more stringent) safety checks and facilities should something untoward arise. Second, the drivers you share the track with expect fast, aggressive driving. The drivers around you on the street are just trying to get home/work/shopping. Don't feel contempt for them, for their lack of enthusiasm for that fahrvergnuegen; instead, feel pity that they will never understand the joys of feeling weight transfer in action and how to use it to your advantage... or knowing how to heel-n-toe.. or any other number of things that make driving fun. Instead, realise that this is not a maintained track surface, shared by other racing brethren, and that you might thus lose traction from the leaves gathered in the gutter as you pass that idiot in the econobox, engine bellowing snorting aggression and SCREEEECHsmashtinkleticktickhisss. Well, damn. There goes your Camaro and, congrats, you killed Jane Doe and John Doe, Jr. on their way home from McDonalds.

hm
hadn't meant to turn that into a rant
however, while I'm ranting
A**HOLES AND CROSSWALKS
Dear a**hats,

I am a pedestrian. I have, legally speaking, the right of way. Those lines painted on the ground in BRIGHT WHITE are what is known collectively as a 'crosswalk'. This strange hieroglyph means that pedestrians are allowed to 'cross' the road (usually by means of 'walk'-ing, hence the name), provided they don't do so in a manner that endangers themselves or others (a la dashing out in front of cars in motion, etc).
What this 'crossing of the walk' requires from you, dear rectally-oriented motorist, is that, upon seeing a pedestrian standing beside the road in a manner that suggests that they might like to cross, is that you grant them the right to continued life, liberty and intactness of limb by a) slowing down, b) no, slower and seeing if they do, indeed wish to cross. They will commonly indicate this by establishing eye-contact with you. This is not a sign of aggression and should not be taken as a threat requiring their extinction-by-automobile. Instead, simply proceed to stop your vehicle before contacting them (stopping a short distance from the white lines is even better) and let them cross the road.
Some drivers report feeling better after letting one of these poor unwheeled creatures live.
And if you don't do this, consistently, I'm gonna throw a f***ing rock through your f***ing back window. See if I don't.

A few years ago I was taking Klonipin and an anti-depressent medication. The combination made it so that it was hard to tell reality from dreams. It also significantly reduced my sensation to pain and eliminated most of my fear. When I drove I had to make a conscience effort to drive appropriately because I used my feelings to help drive. I didn't realize it before this incident, but I use emotions to make my decisions as well as objective thinking. For example: When I was driving towards a bridge, I didn't automatically realize how scary it would be to crash into the railing and how much pain would be involved. I had to make continually figure out what to do because my previous training or tacit knowledge wasn't kicking in. Even if I drove over another bridge 15 minutes later, I had to figure it out all over again. It was fatiguing. Very interesting experience on how the mind works.