My first month here in Tamarind Grove on my street, Southern Star Way which connects to St. Charles, a very busy two lane road a golf cart driver was killed. That golf cart driver was headed up St. Charles doing what was legal, driving in his golf cart lane, going under 20 mph. A landscaper in pickup truck pulling a trailer of lawn equipment pulled through the stop sign and pulled out right in front of that golf cart.
On the otherhand, too many cart drivers drive too fast. In parking lots especially. I always consider a person, a dog, a child running out from between parked cars, can I stop my cart quickly at 15 or 20 mph, the answer is no. I try and drive 5 to 10 mph and also through my CYV neighborhood, same thing, people, kids, a ball, a dog can run out of a driveway without you seeing until it's too late. Take it down to 10 mph or less when in parking lots or villa communities. I see drivers fly through our villas almost going around corners on 2 wheels, and it's not the kids, seniors driving like that.
As far as the roadways, the biggest problem is carts in a golf cart lane on a busy street, such as St. Charles, Pinellas or Hillsborough and someone pulls out of a side street and the cart hits the side of the vehicle, just like in the event I described above when a man was killed. I stare at the driver's faces, eyes, and make they see if they see me, and if I'm not sure, I slow down even though I'm in the right and in my lane, 20 mph into the side of a car is bad. It's called defensive driving and I do it in my car as well, that why I've never had an accident and I've been driving since 1965.
I learned to drive in St. Petersburg, the town Johnny Carson called "the city of the walking dead". I even drove a motorcycle for a year so, when you learn to drive in an atmosphere of retirees, you learn quickly that defensive driving will keep you safer.
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