Hillary Clinton hasn't driven a car since 1996

Hillary Clinton hasn't driven a car since 1996

She may be in the driver's seat when it comes to the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, but Hillary Clinton says she hasn't driven a car in nearly 20 years.

"I have to confess that one of the regrets I have about my public life is that I can't drive anymore," Clinton said in a keynote speech at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in New Orleans on Monday. "My husband thinks that's a blessing, but he's the one who should talk.

"Last time I actually drove a car myself was 1996, and I remember it very well," the former first lady continued. "Unfortunately so does the Secret Service, which is why I haven't driven since then."

During her most recent stint in the White House, as secretary of state, she wasn't alone in giving up her car keys. Vice President Joe Biden, a noted car enthusiast, told Car and Driver magazine that security concerns prevent him from getting behind the wheel.

"I still have my 1967 Goodwood-green Corvette, 327, 350-horse, with a rear-axle ratio that really gets up and goes," Biden said in a 2011 interview. "The Secret Service won’t let me drive it. I’m not allowed to drive anything. It’s the one thing I hate about this job. I’m serious."

But that hasn't always stopped Biden.

"My brother has one of those 556-hp [CTS-V] Cadillacs with a manual," the vice president explained. "He brought it down for me to eat my heart out. So I got in. I have a driveway that’s about 1,700 feet long. I knew the Secret Service wouldn’t let me drive it outside. So I jumped on that sucker and laid rubber. A great feeling."

While former President George W. Bush has been behind the wheel of a pick-up truck on numerous occasions since he took residence in the White House, driving for him has been contained to his ranch in Texas.

"I haven't driven on a street in many, many years," he said in a statement last year when he put a truck up for auction to benefit military families. "but I have been able to drive this truck on my ranch."

During the automakers speech, Clinton also confessed to her biggest regret as secretary of state.

She said that the killing of four Americans during an attack on a diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, was "a terrible tragedy."