Rendell Acknowledges His Driving Skills Are Rusty
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Many teenagers know how Gov. Ed Rendell feels: tooling down an open highway and trying to remember that the accelerator is on the right and the brake is to the left.
Driving will be virtually a new experience for the 66-year-old Rendell when he steps down in January.
"I haven't driven extensively in 20 years," he said in response to a question at a news conference Tuesday. "In the '90s, when I was mayor (of Philadelphia), I would occasionally drive down at the shore, but the driving consisted of less than a mile, almost always in the daytime."
During his eight years as governor, plainclothes state troopers assigned to his security detail have chauffeured Rendell in a succession of late-model Cadillac sedans. He said he expects that privilege to continue for about six months after he leaves office in January, as was the case with his predecessors.
"During that six months, I'll practice," he said, laughing. "We'll see. ... I wasn't, to be honest, a great driver before when I drove, so it could be a real problem."
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