Learning to drive a really ‘smart’ car

By Dawn Jefferies
WSLS10 Anchor/Reporter
Published: March 1, 2008

There are so many reasons I love my job. We often get to witness history, we meet amazing people we wouldn’t otherwise meet and sometimes we just get to do really cool things. I got to ride a really cool car. A small car, but a cool car because it’s so small.

My photographer, Dave Tate and I interviewed Wayne Wise who had just received two of three Smart Fortwo cars he’d waited two years for. I couldn’t get over how small this car was on the outside, yet how much room I had sitting in the driver’s seat.

Wayne says it attracts a lot of looks… he was right. He actually let us take it for a spin and people in Roanoke noticed. Some left me messages on my voicemail after seeing us out taking pictures of it, asking if this was the “Smart Car.” The representative from Smart tells me the car is technically called Smart Fortwo, but it’s supposed to be fuel effecient. As Wayne describes it, “it’s the most fuel effecient, non hybrid in the U.S.”

You can drive it using automtatic or manual transmission. I was nervous enough driving it so I decided to stick with automatic for our brief trip. I have driven a stick shift for years and driving this kinda felt like it felt when I was first learning. You could feel the car shift.

Getting back to the size. It’s small. Wayne says it’s very safe, built with the strongest material made. I still scares me to think of driving it down 81 next to a big rig!!