It’s official: I have been deemed a hazard far too dangerous to be unleashed upon the Arizona highways. I finally got the call; my insurance company dropped my coverage.

Now, I’m not saying I didn’t deserve it. Two accidents and three speeding tickets later, State Farm has said au revoir to me and my Jeep Cherokee, and I have said bonjour to public transportation.

I started out optimistic. After all, I’d be saving hundreds on gas, and I’d be doing my part to make the world a greener place — even if it wasn’t entirely my decision. The Orbit bus route came right to my doorstep, and I had a pretty sweet bike to cruise around on for everything else. For getting such grim news — and having to sell the car I learned to drive in — I was pretty chipper.

Unfortunately, that didn’t last.

On my first day as a car-less student, I made every effort to get myself out the front door 20 minutes earlier than usual. I was confident that I would stroll out to the bus stop just in time for it to roll up, driver waving. I was expecting the freaking Magic School Bus.

Instead, I got reality. I walked out my front door just in time to see the bus driving down the road, too far away to chase after. When the bus finally did arrive, I literally had to flag it down — since the driver was clearly ignoring me — and I hadn’t even gotten the chance to sit down before he hit the gas and I went stumbling down the aisle.

The next day, I changed my strategy. Determined to have a better commuting experience, I rode my bike.

This went worse. I made the mistake of wearing long pants to ride a road bike, and halfway through my ride, the hem of my jeans got caught and I was sent careening off the front of my handlebars and into the pavement. To top it off, I popped my tire.

I had to walk the additional mile to campus with a bloody knee and a broken bike.

To cut my sob story short, I’m glad to say I have since mastered the art of sans-car commuting; in the process, I gained a whole new perspective.

I am all for the people who are entirely capable of driving themselves to campus in the comfort of their own vehicle, but choose not to. I have a newfound respect for the bike riders and power walkers on campus. But personally, if given the option to have my car back, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Does this say something about my character, the fact that I would choose my own comfort over the greater good? Probably. But shameless hedonism within the realm of personal commuting comfort just feels so right.

So, if you are reading this while sitting on a bus, good for you. If you ride your bike to campus every day instead of filling up a gas tank and motoring there, you’re a hero in my book.

And, if you get up every morning and jump in a car to get to class, I can no longer judge you. Seriously, I get it.

If you want to support Karen in her commuting woes or just tell her to suck it up, e-mail her at khewell@asu.edu.