My mom was very much the same way, although she got her license early on she did very, very little driving because it terrified her. She got used to it though. When you have to drive to accomplish what you need to you do whatcha gotta do, right?
Stick with an automatic initially, that way you only have two pedals to worry about + no gears.
The speed will initially terrify you, I remember being deathly afraid at 40 mph. ("Are you
sure you want me to go 45?") Doesn't seem bad when you're in the passenger seat but the first few times behind the wheel the speed seems WAY too fast. I got used to it quickly though, & used to 100 mph on the narrow country roads where I live.

I quit that though.
Have fun, and don't worry about hitting me... I'm too far away.
Viper GTS