The way Charles Ford sees it, nothing is going to stop him from driving his brand new Chevy Cavalier. So what if gas prices are high? So what if he has more traffic tickets than he can remember? So what if he's 102?
He's still got a good eye for the road; he swears by it. After all, he has been driving since Woodrow Wilson was in the White House, back when some people were still getting around by mule.
The latest ticket wasn't so hard to explain. He had a bridge game to get to and didn't have time to wait for a traffic jam to clear. He thought he'd drive down the other side of the road, far enough to make a turn. But as soon as the lights flashed behind him, Ford knew he was in trouble.
"Whenever I know I done something wrong, I don't put no squawk with the police," he said, accepting the yellow slip that would cost him $170. "I knew better."
With his cane in one hand and his car keys in the other, Ford is among 58 centenarians licensed to drive on California's streets. There are 37 drivers who are 100 years old, 15 who are 101, three who are 102, one who is 103 and two who have celebrated their 104th birthdays.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles doesn't disqualify elderly drivers from obtaining licenses, but it does require those older than 70 to renew them in person. Across the country, 19 states require older drivers--typically older than 65 or 70--to renew their licenses in person, to renew them more often or to pass road and vision tests, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Drivers older than 65 have very low accident rates and are not threats to others on the road, according to a study by the institute. But when they do get into accidents, they are more easily hurt and less likely to survive their injuries, the study said. The death rates for drivers 75 to 79 years old are more than four times as high as those for 30-to 59-year-olds.
Of course, not everyone trusts someone who has been behind the wheel since before most roads were built. Ford's friend from the senior citizens center, Mignon Benjamin, said many old drivers grip the steering wheel and never go above 20 mph. But not her friend, she says with a chuckle.
"Here comes Mr. Ford! Get out of his way!" said Benjamin, 73. "I wouldn't ride with him for my life. He drives too fast."
Ford passed a written exam this year to renew his California driver's license for five more years. And a few months ago, he traded in a 1981 Malibu station wagon and bought the 2002 gold Cavalier.
