Quote:
A car is much larger and heavier than your bicycle. It cannot turn or stop as quickly. In fact, cars are about as nimble as a brick, so it's imperative that you learn their limitations. This means that cars are fairly boring to drive since they can't dodge around potholes, patches of glass, and other road debris. Basically, you just sit there and sort of keep the car going straight down the road without wandering from side to side. You find yourself staring at roadway that changes oh-so-slowly. It's like watching a video game where nothing exciting happens.
Modern automobiles are equipped with high-power sound systems, so you can listen to music at deafening levels. The sun visors are equipped with vanity mirrors so you can check your makeup, style your hair, or insert your contact lenses while you're behind the wheel. A cellular phone will let you keep in touch while driving, and a small television can be propped up on the dash. All modern cars have cup holders, so you don't have to juggle a drink and a sandwich. Also, the dash is convenient for placing Chinese take-out, though eating with chopsticks is best left to advanced drivers. (Practice your technique in light traffic.) Older, less technologically astute drivers may enjoy reading a book or magazine to relieve the tedium.
Ed's writing with a great deal of humor mixed in, but the essence is still true, cars are built so as to put us in a little cocoon, isolated from the rest of the world... and it's a shame that cyclists, pedestrians, or other motorists should want to intrude on that... After all, car ads on television always show someone zooming along on an open road. They never show a car braking heavily to avoid a collision.
