| [an error occurred while processing this directive] |
Cars
 Overcoming fear puts her in the driver's seat
By Tina Cassidy | November 7, 2004
Although she could easily rely on taxis and limousines to ferry her to and from the glamorous events she attends across New York City, Vanity Fair correspondent Amy Fine Collins recently decided to give up her longstanding fear of driving, handed down from her accident-plagued family. She chronicled her lessons -- as much emotional as they were mechanical -- in a book called "The God of Driving: How I overcame fear and put myself in the driver's seat with the help of a good and mysterious man."
Automotive editor Tina Cassidy spoke with the socialite about her car, her lessons, and the best drive she has ever taken. Q: You live in New York City. What's better: public transportation or being stuck in traffic in a really nice car? A: Environmentally speaking, of course public transportation is better. But sitting still or moving fast in a beautiful car is preferred to most Americans. You have your privacy and your own cocoon. Q: Lots of people who grow up in the city don't learn how to drive until much later in life -- if ever at all. Any advice for them? A: Don't live your life that way anymore. It's not necessary. We each need that feeling of freedom and independence. . . . I have a friend in the Boston area who had a severe driving phobia and she went to the center for anxiety. . . . Hire a professional [to teach you to drive]. It's not something that should be left to a parent or a spouse because it is the most dangerous thing you can do on a daily basis. . . . Ideally you want to be relaxed but vigilant. We should not take driver training casually. We do. It is the biggest cause of death among young people. . . . All we concentrate on in this country are safer automobiles but what we really need are safer drivers. Q: Do you own a car? A: I own a '92 Acura Integra that my driving teacher sold to me [for $4,000]. That's the only one I've owned. All those fancy automobiles I drove while working on the book, when it comes down to brass tacks, that's the only one that I actually pay insurance for and garage. It is a junker. It has more mileage on it than the Starship Enterprise. It's a pale metallic brown. I don't keep it in the city. Here, I use Avis a lot. Q: Five-speed or automatic? A: It's automatic, although I am a big believer in everyone learning to drive a manual transmission. It makes you a better driver. You know exactly what you're doing. You're fully in control of the car. Q: What is the best car you've ever driven? A: I think that Bentley Continental GT. It's got that combination of power and speed, and very precise and elegant engineering with extra design. At the same time it's not too flashy. It blends in a little bit, but not too much. And people just get so excited when they see you in it. The wonderful thing about a great car is it's a leveler. They all want to partake in the pleasure in seeing it and sniffing it. Q: Are you considering buying a new car? What are you thinking of getting? A: Yes. An Audi, probably an S6 or 4. I like them. I had the pleasure of trying it out. In an ideal world I would love the Bentley Continental GT. It's neither practical nor affordable to me. . . . It also has a genderless appeal. Women are not really catered to among the automotive industry. They're really selling cars to men and the ones that are marketed to women are not sexy cars. Q: You've spent so much time with your driving instructor, Attila. How did he influence you? A: He has had a complete influence on my driving style, being relaxed and vigilant, alert at all times, using your eyes as much as any other part of your body, not being aggressive, which is not being passive either. Not rising to the bait of anyone's provocations. All over, road manners are gone. . . . It's not a competition out there. You can enjoy yourself and be safe and there's no winning or losing here unless you're talking about your life. Q: What's the most exhilarating drive you've taken -- both behind the wheel and as a passenger? A: As a passenger it would have been in the Maybach in Germany on the Autobahn when we hit high speeds, about 160 mph. That car is extra-engineered. It's a quiet, smooth and solid ride. You don't feel the speed. You can see it but you can't feel it. Attila was driving it then. Q: What's in your glove box? A: Paper work. Nothing fascinating. No gloves. But I think the magnet driver school sign is still in the trunk. Tina Cassidy can be reached at cassidy@globe.com. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company. |
Video: 
Coupon: