I think the Villages has the worst drivers (both carts and cars) and sometimes bicyclists, that I've ever encountered, and I've lived a lot of places.
Yesterday, I was driving my cart north on Buena Vista, stopped at Old Mill Run (another dangerous intersection - lots of traffic at certain times). a car headed w/b from Old Mill going right into the traffic circle stopped at the path crossing and motioned the women on bikes to go across. They did, talking to each other the whole time, and never even glancing right into the e/b lane, where a car was coming out of the traffic circle. That car had to brake. I don't think the women ever even noticed it.
One of the problems here is that car drivers don't seem to realize all the time where they have the right of way. Most are probably trying to be nice, but stopping where they shouldn't sets up the above scenarios. Many cart drivers also appear to think that because they are in a cart, they have the right of way, particularly when merging left into the traffic lane. Just because they signal or stick out their hand doesn't mean they can go ahead. THEY are the ones merging and need to yield the right of way - They need to be sure there is room to merge, and remember the cars are going faster than the carts.
I know some of these drivers are just trying to be nice, but lately there have been drivers in cars with heavily tinted windows motioning me to go ahead and cross. I can't see into their driver's side windows and can barely tell sometimes what they are trying to do. They don't seem to realize that they can see out but I can't see in. I wish everyone would just learn the rules of the road and follow them.
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