Originally Posted by
redeyedtreefr0g
...to feel that driving a car is weird or unsafe after you commute by bike for a while?
I spent nearly the entire school year either driving a bus or a bicycle. The few times I was finally able to take the car to work again in rainy weather, it was a completely bizarre experience.
Being used to the bus, I felt too low in the car, and being so low, I felt like I should be going slowly like I was on the bike.
There was a claustrophobic effect because it seemed like I was boxed in by the other cars: I couldn't see around them, or over them, and my own car blocked a lot of my view around me with only tiny mirrors on the sides (instead of the 6 I'm used to, or being able to just look around on my bike).
Traffic lights were mildly more annoying for some reason.
The car turned oddly because I had no tactile feedback from handlebars, and no 40ft behind me- the short back end of the car felt like it was sliding or something.
I just wondered if anyone else experienced something similar, although perhaps not as drastic. I love my bike, and driving the bus, but I really sort of disliked my trip in the car. Riding as a passenger is still normal.
I'm behind the wheel of a car enough that it doesn't feel weird to me though I might go days without driving. It's probably a mix of what you're used to and personal preference. I'd be scared that I'd take someone out with the back of a bus while rounding a corner if I were to drive one, but I like driving small sporty cars (when I do drive). My wife is different and likes to sit up high, - like in a minivan (yuck).