Is it true that the future of driving is in Google’s hands? I certainly hope not… Not because I don’t trust the machine (maybe I do and maybe I don’t) but because there is nothing like driving – for fun.

It’s the first roller coaster you can control. Find those hills, you know the ones in town (except maybe you mid-westerners); find those roads with the dip – that slight valley in the road – hit it just right and your stomach drops to the floor…

It’s the satisfaction of pushing down on the accelerator and feeling that small g-force pull you back in the seat, knowing what will happen when you turn the wheel or depress the brake pedal.

It’s learning to control the clutch and 5th gear – downshifting to make the turn and then throwing it back into 5th as you hit the straightaway.

It’s having your friends help you push start the car with the dead battery (the door never did quite close all the way and the dome light sucked the life right out of that DC hunk of metal.) Put it into neutral, start pushing, roll, rolling, hitting about 5 miles per hour now and jump in, pop the clutch and hear that engine roar to life.

It’s (sorry mom and dad) rolling the car down the drive way and starting up the engine after you hit the street to go out to see your friends in the middle of the night.

It’s those first days of having your license and asking for the keys and hearing “yes” even though it is followed by a “be careful…”

I truly hope that the art, the future of driving is not being given up just because a machine and a very smart computer can navigate the streets faster, without accident and find that empty spot on the street because someone tweeted they were leaving 5th and Chestnut. For those of you who have lived in the city (with a car); you know that finding a free parking spot is also exhilarating! Let’s keep some power, some thrills and some control in our hands – it is our future and we should enjoy being in the driver’s seat.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl