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Did I love her? Of course. Sure, we were different. I was a homebody without ambition. She was driven and wanted to go places. I was indecisive. She encouraged me to put my foot down. But somehow, in that mysterious way love works, we became a perfect match.

I was nervous when we met. I'd never been out with a model like her. Our first time alone? Embarrassing. Clammy hands groping wildly. Heavy breathing fogging windows. But ever so patiently she taught me how to turn her on.

I was infatuated. Hypnotised by her body's curves. Amazed at how she responded to my touch. Dirty weekends away culminated in steamy baths, both of us smothered in suds. But then the passion faded. She turned needy. I grew neglectful. She was often flat. I'd try to get her moving. She would respond with the silent treatment.

It wasn't hard to leave her, you know. The used car salesman made an offer I couldn't refuse. Yes, I loved our second car. She led me down so many roads. But those constant breakdowns wore me out. She was still weeping in the car yard when I walked away, her oily tears now someone else's problem.

It's been a year since my wife and I joined that minority of Australian households relying on a single car. This week we gave each a smug high five as reports emerged that the average annual cost of running a vehicle had soared past $16,000 - the figure climbs to $25,000 and more for that rapidly growing number of large SUVs and muscle trucks.

We certainly appreciate the savings we've made. Yes, we're lucky we both work from home. Even so, having only one car requires greater planning. I can't go fishing on an impulse anymore if my wife is already out. A half-day service means a taxi home. But these are small things compared to having a second under-used lump of leaking metal devouring our bank account.

A study released this week by the ride-sharing company Uber found Australian cars sit idle for 95 per cent of the time and most of us underestimate the true cost of running our vehicles.

You'd expect Uber to say that, of course.

But do the sums you're afraid to confront. With rising fuel prices, soaring interest rates and the ever-increasing cost of tolls, the Australian household's passion for owning multiple vehicles now comes at an unprecedented cost.

We have one of the highest rates of car ownership per capita in the world - 38 per cent higher than the UK, a remarkable figure even considering Australia's vastness.

There are, incredibly, more than 21 million registered vehicles in a nation of 26 million. More than half of Australian households have two or more cars and a third have three or more. And we're buying more cars and driving them less, according to several studies examining the distances we travel.

Our vehicles are chewing up the nation, chopping up our roads, spewing more fumes into the atmosphere and soaking up more and more space. Standards Australia last month recommended an increase in the length of off-street parking bays across the country -........

© Canberra Times