Using reinforcement learning in Python to teach a virtual car to avoid obstacles

I'd like to build a self-driving, self-learning RC car that can move around my apartment at top speed without running into anything--especially my cats. But before busting out the soldering iron and scaring the crap out of Echo and Bear, I figured it best to start in a virtual environment. I've learned a lot going from "what's reinforcement learning?" to watching my Robocar skillfully traverse the environment, so I decided to share those learnings with the world. Update, Feb 24, 2016: Part 2 is now available. Update, March 7, 2016: Part 3 is now available.