I'm guessing that the 14 golf cart accident fatalities involved an automobile or a curb. Seat belts and lower speed is about the only practical things one can do to improve those situations, IMHO. If you tangle with an automobile in a golf cart, you're going to lose. If you hit a curb and flip, a seat belt could increase your injuries. At my previous club, a woman died on the first hole when she drove to close to a bunker, causing the golf cart to turn over. The cart roof edge landed on her head, killing her instantly. This was a run of the mill 12 mph fleet golf cart. There are no guarantees, just like with motorcycles. Motorcycles are great fun....but very dangerous when mixed with automobiles. The OP is a pilot? I am too. I also ride a motorcycle, and drive my golf cart without seat belts. I also ride my bicycle among golf carts and automobiles. Everything has risks. We have enough mandates and laws. So many that every one of us breaks at least some law every day, probably. This is a community of 50,000 plus golf carts! Seems to me, the safety record for golf carts in The Villages is pretty good.

As I understand it, the developers are good, caring people who set the set the tone for many, many things in the Villages. If cart safety is an important issue that needs to be addressed, why not alert visitors, quests, current residents by advertising that their rental golf carts are now equipped with seat belts.

I understand the down side would be the cost to install seat belts and having to mention the subject of operating a fun vehicle safely might take some of the fun out of its use for some. For pilots, safety is always our issue #1. For everyone else, safety also should be a prime concern. If only one life is saved, it will have been worth the expense.

For an improvement in golf carts safety in the Villages, this would seem like a small, easy first step to take. Maybe this issue has already been discussed by the powers to be. If so, I wish they would revisit all safety concerns and reconsider installing seat belts in their rental golf carts. If you know them, please pass these thoughts along for their consideration.

We are so looking forward to your moving here and enjoying this wonderful place. This is kinda like giving advice about raising children before you have any.

I have a fine son who has two great sons thank you so much!

And I am sure that they are blessed to have you as a parent and you have raised them wisely and carefully and with the utmost caution.

My point is ...wait until you have lived here and driven a cart for six months before you try to change the system.

If seat belts in rentals were a deal breaker for many renters, there would be seat belts in rentals. Apparently, most renters don't see it as a priority.

Sometimes one who looks from the outside in has the advantage! I got your drift the first time. Maybe we all should stay on topic. The safety of cart use in the Villages should not be minimized. Everyone has a stake in it.

Most renters are not aware of the safety concerns of golf cart use. I wasn’t!

Does the CDD as our local government have the legal authority to address safety on the multi modal paths? They have installed stop signs in tunnels, speed bumps, and some are going to stripe some paths. Can non-criminal enforcement be a part of our community rules? Have speed traps manned by trained radar operators. I am sure there are several former cops on the Watch. First offense warning, second offense inactivate their ID card for a month. Or even install radar in some of the Watch vehicles to document speed on the highways. Under what authority would the CDD pull over drivers? Perhaps they cannot. I don't believe there is any rule that says I must obey a Community watch employee. However they can certainly take my photo in a public place. And a CDD website with photos of speeders and speeding carts would get plenty of hits leading to ID of the driver in most cases.

In addressing safety three directions can be taken. Improve the product itself, improve the training of the user, and improve the environment in which the product is used.

I install speedometers on golf carts and have installed four during the past year for Villagers who have been ticketed for driving their carts above 20MPH.

They report the fine is $340.00 and they had to make a court appearance to pay it.

Thanks

Sometimes those looking from the outside in don't understand the issue.

Tu shay. Now, do you believe that seat belts should be made available on rental carts as an option (not required equipment)? If the cart safety video stresses wearing seat belts and other believe it is a good thing, then why not make them available on rental carts?

If you put the words "seat belts in golf carts" in the search option above you will find more than fifty threads on the subject. This one from 2008 is a typical one.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...uestion-12115/

Thanks for the reference. And this from 2008 ->"

My suggestion: All three counties need to address this issue at once. Not in 6 months or a year from now. NOW! They need to come to an agreement on standard for golf carts (NOT LSV) and enforce them. They need to step up the process of giving out tickets and stop warning people about running stop signs, passing on solid white lines, breaking the speed limit (doing 30mph in a cart or better) and driving after doing the 2 for 1'ers. These are grave issues and are not being dealt with on an every day bases.
I also believe that this community should have a cart registration where by each cart is registered so that if someone is causing problems there is a way to identify that person and their cart. Right now there is no such way without taking the law into your own hands and confronting the person about the issue. That is not a good idea either. Some thoughts on these issues would be interesting too"

So, how can we make some/any changes before 2022. By then, I will have been a full timer for over six years and maybe can be a part of the group.

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I would like to add something to this conversation ....I have added seat belts. crash pads. air bags. roll over bars. safety glass , wing tip strobe lights . ejection seats and now my cart will only go 4 miles per hour ....My worry is getting hit from behind....I hate mandatory also I don't like Geo. Orwell and Ralph Nader ........

Living safely in Chatham.....Fumar

IF your cart tipped sideways, would it be safer to be strapped in and fall sideways on to an object and have the whole weight of the cart hold you against that object or to be hit by it and pushed away? Think of those cemented in posts that are everywhere.

Would it be safer with no sides to be held immovable when something is coming toward you?

It would definitely be safer to not be thrown for sure.

When we moved here eight years ago we were being told to not install seat belts in golf carts by LEO's etc..

Read #10 post of the link I posted above.

I think that you should buy a cart and have seat belts installed .

And I hope and pray that you will never be hurt no matter what ever happens.

I think your attitude to make things more safe is kind and good and caring and community spirited.

Were you BORN in Ohio?

You can always construct scenarios where seat belts may be a benefit and may not be a benefit. Ideally, the decision of whether to use seat belts would be made based on the more likely scenarios. I would argue that running into a lake and drowning or being attacked by gators, while certainly possible, is probably one of the less likely scenarios based on the fact that much less area in The Villages is covered by water than dry land.

I did find one study where seat belts would be of benefit to children who can be ejected from a golf cart when making a left hand turn because the hip restraints are not as effective for small bodies. Regardless of body size, there appears to be enough anecdotal evidence that ejections from golf carts can lead to serious injury although I am sure you can find instances where being injected was better than being secured in the golf cart. Again, you would want to play the odds. We don't have seat belts but it is becoming apparent that we need to rethink that position. For me, the only real choice is whether I play the odds that in the event of an accident it is probably better to be wearing seat belts. I suspect you actually also want shoulder restraints, as in cars.

Get seat belts! It will be your decision, not some government mandate, and you will be safer. Go to the POA web site and read up on golf cart safety/accidents. Property Owners, Association of Florida Here's a search from there FreeFind Site Search Results They are the ones who have been challenging the police to catalog the golf cart accidents and point up the safety factor of wearing seat belts. The rental companies do not put seat belts in their carts. It's not mandatory, so they don't go to that expense.

I must be honest: We don't have a golf cart. Our decision. We don't play golf. We have ridden in them and not enjoyed the experience. Plus they're cold in the winter and hot in the summer, and the gas ones smell. But we are definitely in the minority. If we had one, it would have seat belts, turn signals that make noise so you realize they're still on, and headlights that are properly aligned so they don't shine up into someone's face in an oncoming vehicle. And a horn.

More past discussions.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...01/index2.html

In our house, Sweetie thinks seat belts are safer and I am NOT SURE.

But some of the people that I completely respect on this forum think seat belts are safer. I may soon have them installed. And if I am held against an impaling object and killed, I will haunt you.




Worse than now.

If you are thrown out of a golf cart and killed, I will miss you forever!:cryin2:

That is an exact description of how I drive my Harley Good advice :clap2:

For those who would like to view golf cart accidents during 2011-2014 as presented to District 10 in February click on (Coversheet) and download/open the VPSD Attachments pdf

Coversheet

Does anyone have any information on the golf cart accident that occurred on Hillsborough near the Dunedin pool around 6:45 this evening? The cart was on its side in the middle of the street with people lying in the street.

[///

The very last thing we need is more Mandatory rules and regulations. We already have more then enough. More rules require more people to check the rules, more police to enforce the rules, and more taxes to pay for them.

If you personally want more safety items just get them. I have seat belts and use them, but I certainly don't want to force every one to use them. I would like windshield wipers but have found that a rain-x type polish on the windshield works well. I will add liquid lights to improve visibility at some point. And I replaced the mirrors to provide better rear view visibility.

All things you can do if you chose to do so. Just add those items you want, drive defensively as everyone should, and you will be much safer than if there were a lot of mandatory rules in place that everyone was finding a way to avoid.

And I to am a pilot and have flown 50 different planes from Aronca Chiefs to F-111's. I to ride motorcycles, from 50cc dirt bikes to my current Harley Road King. Safety is important to me and for everyone else. But please make your own choices and not force them on everyone else.

Every time this man posts I applaud. He is one of the smartest people I have ever met. He married a terrific girl too. So glad they live here with all of us in lower Paradise.

Talk about safety is a joke. Yea seat belts may be a great idea along with extra headlights for night time driving, extra brake lights on your canopy. What about the golf towels hanging off the back of the golf carts covering the brake and directional signals? What about the 10 MPH speed limit over the LS Bridge? Or the other day when some jerk actually passed someone on that same bridge? Safety is a great thing don't get me wrong but common sense should come first. We don't need government involvement. There was also a debate awhile back where two law enforcement officers had opposing views on the worthiness of seat belts on golf carts. So it should be a personal decision. Here's a thought have the insurance company offer a discount IF you have seatbelts in your GC money talks. OK I'm done.

Since most injuries are caused by ejection from the cart, seat belts are the best thing you can install for safety reasons, especially for the passenger because they might not know that you are going to make a sharp left.

Just an FYI. Not everyone who passes you is passing you because they're in a hurry, you're going too slow...
I pass people all the time because I don't like riding behind the stink and noise of their gas cart.

OH.

Saw a sign at the Yamaha Store that said...Let's beat Electric.

And one at the Par Car Store that said;

Let's Pass Gas.

:a20:

I see a new bumper sticker in my future.

Haven't heard of any golf cart veering off the road without some help from the operator. If you have a fear of losing control of your cart maybe you should consider riding with someone or taking a car. As for taking away your choices I assume you make no judgments on the choices others make.....which makes you very unique.

And since there is no way to get a Par Car to go faster than 20 (except street legal) passing gas is very hard to do (not withstanding baked beans for lunch by the driver).

Can anyone cite a documented case of someone being killed or severely inured because they could not get out of a seat belt? Not anecdotes , heresay, and rumors, just facts.

Some die because they can not get out of a vehicle after a crash, but I have never heard of an accident where the seatbely was the culprit.

Seatbelts have been documented to be the saving grace in millions of cases wher they have prevented or minimized injury.

For safety: seat belts and LED lights. Been here 7 years. Personally came across a small child strapped in a car seat that had fallen out of the cart, someone ran straight into a tree and my wife asleep in the passenger seat. In the tree crash the seat broke loose because it is only screwed into fiberglass. LED lights to be seen. Hopefully, the more visible you are the better your chances of not being run into.

read this story

He was a student of mine when he was in high school a long time ago. I was the golf coach and this was our home course at one time, so I knew management. Management told me there was no drinking involved. It was a freak accident where the cart veered left and he fell out and landed on his head. Those carts only went 12 mph.

He shouldn't have reached for his phone.

As some manufactures such as Par Car & Tombelin refer to them as "Personal Transport Vehicales" it important to note that the type of use other than playing golf the use on our
Roadways next to Automobiles should have the accessories as close to an auto as possible.
Items for safty such as lighting, mirrors, seat belts, reflectors, turn signals,horn are the most common.
Keeping the vehicle machanically sound with good brakes, tires and good headlights is always a good practice with any vehicle.

Going into the water with all the lakes and canals (S. Florida) was the same excuse heard when the seatbelt law was put into place in Florida for autos. The seatbelt law has never killed anyone to my knowledge but saved thousands.
As far as being eaten by an alligator when going into the water, that is about as likely as an accurate long range weather forecast. Probably never happened.

Being trapped in the car and drowning/burning/whatever is the classic argument for not wearing a seat belt espoused by a certain age group (my mother comes to mind, who would have been 100 last month) and still given by a relatively few people today. It has been thoroughly statistically disproven. Buckle up!