Do you like driving?

Fed up talking videogames? Why?

Do you enjoy driving?

Yes, I live for the road!
12
40%
Meh, take it or leave it
9
30%
No, driving is rubbish
9
30%
 
Total votes: 30
User avatar
Jenuall
Member
Joined in 2008
AKA: Jenuall
Location: 40 light-years outside of the Exeter nebula
Contact:

PostDo you like driving?
by Jenuall » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:33 pm

Was chatting to people at work today about the increasing intelligence and automation you get in modern cars as one of the guys had recently bought a car that parks itself, slows down for traffic and the like. When discussing this and the wider topic of self driving cars it surprised me just how anti-driving most of the people in the office were! Pretty much everyone couldn't wait for the day when their car just drives them everywhere.

For some it was the hassle of it, others want their time free to do other stuff, but a surprising number said they just really do not like driving! They don't enjoy the experience, even at the best of times.

Personally I just strawberry floating love driving. It is one of those things that I remember being massively excited about as a kid - driving was a grown up thing and you had to be big to do it, so once I turned 17 and started doing it I just couldn't believe it. I was out on the road on my own, driving around and nobody was stopping me, it was allowed - how awesome is that!

There is just something about the mechanics of it, the way it feels, how a car responds to input and the level of control you have. Driving just puts a smile on my face. Even my daily commute which I'm sure many would find a bit of a slog I still really enjoy.

One of the things I love is how endlessly you can "game-ify" it and make mini-challenges - how efficiently can I make this trip, can I get round this corner in a certain gear, how smoothly/quickly can I pull away, can I judge the power right so I don't have to brake before the next car in front starts moving again, can I hold it on the clutch on this hill instead of putting on the handbrake etc.

And for me it's not about driving fast or dangerously or taking stupid risks or anything like that either. My previous car was a little low powered 1L VW Polo and it was great fun to drive. I loved the fact that even though it wasn't the quickest thing I could drive it and think - I strawberry floating nailed that last drive. :datass:

Another thing is that for situations like commuting I enjoy the alone time it gives me. I can have a think, listen to music or podcasts that I might not get a chance to at other times. It gives me some great head space.

So I thought I would take the my fellow G CAR cadians - do you love driving? Do you hate it? Are you not fussed?

VROOM VROOM!

User avatar
Poser
Banned
Joined in 2008
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Poser » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:38 pm

Yeah, the novelty hasn't worn off for me and I'll have been been driving for 23 years on the 27th of June.

Performance and enjoyment has been the main consideration when buying my last five cars, though the last two are practical as well. I still find accelerating hard, and taking corners quickly, very exhilarating, though I am farm more sensible now than I perhaps used to be.

Obviously if you just slog through traffic or on motorways every day, then I can see it'd get tedious. Plus I find overall driving standards are in decline. I get the Metro to work so driving still feels fresh to me.

User avatar
Photek
Member
Joined in 2008
Location: Dublin

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Photek » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:39 pm

Hate it, I get angry, stressed everything and I drive every day for hours HOURS! :(

Image
User avatar
Kezzer
Member
Joined in 2012

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Kezzer » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:40 pm

I ride a motorbike and it is insanely good fun. Motorway driving is a pain in the arse (literally) but twisty roads are beautiful :datass:

This post is exempt from the No Context Thread.

Tomous wrote:Tell him to take his fake reality out of your virtual reality and strawberry float off


Image
Image
Image
jawafour
Member
Joined in 2012

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by jawafour » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:40 pm

I haven't driven for... ooh... twenty-four years now. I did have a car for a few years but I never took to driving. I don't think I'd pick up my driving gloves again, either; roads are just too fast and manic.

User avatar
Moggy
"Special"
Joined in 2008
AKA: Moggy

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Moggy » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:43 pm

I’ve always loved driving. 22 years now and I still enjoy just going for a drive.

I strawberry floating hate traffic jams though.

User avatar
KingK
Member
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by KingK » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:43 pm

Love it. I drive an hour each way in my.commute plus the occasional 2-3 hr drive at weekends too.

Having a nice car helps (I have a 68-plated VW Arteon R Line) so the miles flow by, when I'm not stuck in traffic.

It's my time when I'm generally free of family distractions and can listen to whatever I want.

Helps me relax before I get home

Been driving 30 yrs and do 15k p.a. these days

User avatar
OrangeRKN
Community Sec.
Joined in 2015
Location: Reading, UK
Contact:

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by OrangeRKN » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:43 pm

Nope, I passed my test and drove my mum's car sporadically for a couple of years at 18, but I haven't driven now in over 5 years. I'm hoping that by the time I need a car, they will all just be self-driving.

It's not enjoyable to me to be in control of something where a momentary lapse in concentration could make me responsible for the death or injury of myself or others. I'd also much rather have the free time during a commute on a bus or train to do something actually enjoyable like playing games or reading, or something actually productive like writing. Also I never have to think about if I can have a drink!

I think I'd like driving more if I was on an open road with no one else around, but that is not how south-east England works.

I also get frustrated with the actual mechanics of driving and how antiquated they are. Why are pedals still a thing? (Most) humans are way more dexterous with their hands than their feet, and there is no reason we can't have different, easier and more intuitive controls for cars. It's just a dumb holdover from the past. Look how much interacting with computers and phones has changed over the last 30-40 years, and then imagine none of that had happened and we all had mobiles where you had to dial numbers with a rotary dial. That's what driving a car is like and it's incredibly silly.

There are other reasons for and benefits to not having a car other than the actual enjoyment of driving also, but that's outside of the scope of this thread.

EDIT: All that said, I went on a canal boat holiday recently and I loved driving(?) that. That's more my kind of pace!

Image
Image
orkn.uk - Top 5 Games of 2023 - SW-6533-2461-3235
User avatar
Moggy
"Special"
Joined in 2008
AKA: Moggy

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Moggy » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:47 pm

OrangeRKN wrote:I also get frustrated with the actual mechanics of driving and how antiquated they are. Why are pedals still a thing? (Most) humans are way more dexterous with their hands than their feet, and there is no reason we can't have different, easier and more intuitive controls for cars. It's just a dumb holdover from the past. Look how much interacting with computers and phones has changed over the last 30-40 years, and then imagine none of that had happened and we all had mobiles where you had to dial numbers with a rotary dial. That's what driving a car is like and it's incredibly silly.


How much dexterity do you need for a drive to the shops? Push one pedal to go, one pedal when you change gear and the other one to stop.

I am not sure that moving them up to your hands would help at all. Your hands should be free to hold the steering wheel while sending text messages.

User avatar
Dowbocop
Member ♥
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Dowbocop » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:50 pm

I've only been able to drive for about eighteen months and I've only been on the motorway once (got lost on the Wirral and lost in Liverpool - motorway was fine though 8-) ). I do very little rush hour driving. I mostly just drive to training in the evening. I'm getting more confident now so I'm enjoying the driving a bit more, and I do like the convenience that you don't always get with public transport in terms of timetables etc. However I still much prefer getting the bus or the train as it lets me read and chill out.

User avatar
darksideby182
Member
Joined in 2008
Location: Cove grove

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by darksideby182 » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:57 pm

Not as much as i used to my daily commute is generally Hampshire into central London which if anybody does this knows it's shite. Coming out of London for the way home is a nightmare and this is the main reason for not enjoying driving the standard of people using the roads is poor (Car, Van , Bicycle, Motorbike). Although i can be anywhere in the south of the UK so my weekly work mileage is around 500miles add on any domestic mileage driving does get boring very quickly.
It does not help that i drive a company van which i use for everything but saves money on not having to have my own vehicle.

Wii U : punkeator
Xbox live : darksideby182
Psn : darksideby182
steam : Punkeator
Origin : Punkeator
Switch : 6739-1557-7191
User avatar
Preezy
Skeletor
Joined in 2009
Location: SES Hammer of Vigilance

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Preezy » Fri Jun 07, 2019 4:10 pm

Driving is definitely a means to an end for me. It gets me to where I need to be, sometimes it's enjoyable but more often than not it's either neutral or irritating. I do quite enjoy the quiet time my short commute gives me though, so that's something.

User avatar
Rax
Member
Joined in 2008
AKA: Raxicori

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Rax » Fri Jun 07, 2019 4:17 pm

I love driving, always have, something about the freedom of the road and getting time to just clear the head is great. 2 of my favourite holidays have been roadtrips in the states and its something I would love to do again some day. Even when I had a 90 minute commute I liked the driving, I just hated being tired and how much time it took from my day, the actual act of being in control of a car is great though.

User avatar
Frank
Member
Joined in 2009

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Frank » Fri Jun 07, 2019 5:30 pm

Driving is great. Everyone else on the road is not. Too busy, too thick, too selfish. That's why I get the train to work. Can't be dealing with rush hour wankers for an hour each way every day.

Image
User avatar
Curls
Member
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Curls » Fri Jun 07, 2019 5:36 pm

I love driving....
I hate driving in 90% of the uk. What a shite congested country this is.

User avatar
PuppetBoy
Member
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by PuppetBoy » Fri Jun 07, 2019 5:39 pm

I find the thought of doing it stressful. If I'm familiar with the route then it's fine once I'm going, but I hate driving around towns I've never driven in before.

Image
User avatar
SEP
Member ♥
Joined in 2008
AKA: Moggy

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by SEP » Fri Jun 07, 2019 6:01 pm

I love driving. It's my favourite part of the day.

Image
User avatar
Robbo-92
Member
Joined in 2018
AKA: Robbo-92
Location: South Yorkshire

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Robbo-92 » Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:33 pm

I love driving, for the most part.

On a nice quiet road you know well its just good fun to have a slightly more spirited drive, push your car a little more and enjoy driving. If I lived nearer a track then I’d probably be down there a few times a year just having fun in my car which I don’t get to do anywhere near enough, plus I’ve only got one car so if I crashed it on a track I doubt my insurance would cover me and it’d leave me car-less.

In UK driving its just awful, even on my relatively quiet commute it just infuriates you with how much traffic there is and how much it holds you and everyone else up, this is why for commuting I’m actually looking forward to when driverless cars are the norm as it’ll mean you won’t have to worry if you’re caught up behind a car or in traffic as you’ll be able to sit back and spend your time doing something else while you get driven to work or wherever you’re going. If I worked in a city centre I’d definitely take the bus/train over driving just as being in constant nose to tail traffic is annoying to say the least.

The only time I find it really stressful is if I’m on my own and I’ve no idea where I’m going (relying on satnav) as I tend to get a little worried that I’ll end up in the wrong lane at the wrong time etc, again driverless cars will make this a lot more pleasant.

Image
Image
Image
User avatar
mcjihge2
Member
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by mcjihge2 » Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:47 pm

You cant 'drive' in the UK. You sit in a car and continually pull up to traffic, whilst an annoying minority try their best to kill you.

This is me every day,

Xbox Live: GCE
User avatar
Outrunner
Member
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Do you like driving?
by Outrunner » Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:21 pm

I took driving lessons when I was younger and felt I should because it's a grown up thing to do. I hated every minute of the lessons I took and realised driving probably wasn't for me. Someone at work just passed their test and there's been the usual "you should do it too, it's the best thing ever, you won't regret it". After all these years I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to change my mind on this!

Please do not post this in the "No Context" thread

Return to “Stuff”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: <]:^D, Grumpy David, kerr9000, Rawrgna, Vermilion and 487 guests