Golf carts as a traveling machine

Closed Thread
Thread Tools
  #31  
Old 03-05-2015, 04:57 PM
twoplanekid's Avatar
twoplanekid twoplanekid is offline
Platinum member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: born Urbana,Il lived in Urbana Ohio for 65 years a house in Lake Deaton
Posts: 1,977
Thanks: 6
Thanked 683 Times in 280 Posts
Default

I found this 2014 safety video released by officials in The Villages after a spike in golf cart crashes. The very first point that they make is to buckle up.

To have new Village Golf Car show rooms and service centers in Lake Sumter and Brownwood is great. But why don’t they rent golf carts equipped with seat belts and set a safety example for everyone?

Safety video released for golf cart drivers in The Villages | www.wftv.com
  #32  
Old 03-05-2015, 05:05 PM
DougB's Avatar
DougB DougB is offline
Sage
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Hacienda South
Posts: 2,948
Thanks: 1
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by twoplanekid View Post
I believe that graciegirl is making my point. She and I believe that golf carts are not cars and can be dangerous. She stated that “Fourteen people have died in golf cart accidents in the last five years. Some of them were liquor fueled. Some of them were lack of experience. All of them were because a golf cart is not an enclosed fortified vehicle.”

As far as publicly stating or advertising the use of carts as cars, graciegirl says “Part of the fun is driving a golf cart to the grocery, and to the dentist and doctors, and out to dinner and to the squares and to your friends home and to play golf and pickleball and swim, and bowl and .....well you get the picture.” Almost everyone says this about the use of golf carts in the Villages. Use them as cars.

Maybe I should never have used the word mandatory. So, lets back up a bit. If you could dream or make a wish for an upgrade to your cart that would make it safer for you to use on the intermodal roads, what would that be?

To make our golf cart operations safer should not be looked at as ridiculous.
My look at this is very new and much less experience than most of you. So, I am relying on you to help me decide on the extra equipment that would be good to have to give me the best change of having an enjoyable and safe ride.
Maybe you should just stick with a car as a mode of transportation?
__________________
“ Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. ”
  #33  
Old 03-05-2015, 05:13 PM
Polar Bear Polar Bear is offline
Sage
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 4,682
Thanks: 222
Thanked 956 Times in 385 Posts
Default Golf carts as a traveling machine

I believe that, with seat belts and a modicum of common sense, driving a cart on the MMP's is at least as safe as driving a car on the road system.
  #34  
Old 03-05-2015, 05:14 PM
dbussone's Avatar
dbussone dbussone is offline
Sage
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 7,833
Thanks: 0
Thanked 86 Times in 78 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Polar Bear View Post
I believe that, with seat belts and a modicum of common sense, driving a cart on the MMP's is at least as safe as driving a car on the road system.
That's a scary thought!
__________________
All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.
Winston Churchill
  #35  
Old 03-05-2015, 06:18 PM
Shimpy's Avatar
Shimpy Shimpy is offline
Sage
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,735
Thanks: 4
Thanked 24 Times in 19 Posts
Default

Seat belts keep you in the cart if there is an accident. Remember we are driving an open vehicle and it wouldn't take much for you to exit it and land on your face on asphalt, especially the passenger who is not holding onto a steering wheel. It's not like a car with doors and being in a steel cage. Carts are known to turn over and dump the driver and passenger out if they are not belted in.
__________________
Les
  #36  
Old 03-05-2015, 06:21 PM
dbussone's Avatar
dbussone dbussone is offline
Sage
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 7,833
Thanks: 0
Thanked 86 Times in 78 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shimpy View Post
Seat belts keep you in the cart if there is an accident. Remember we are driving an open vehicle and it wouldn't take much for you to exit it and land on your face on asphalt, especially the passenger who is not holding onto a steering wheel. It's not like a car with doors and being in a steel cage. Carts are known to turn over and dump the driver and passenger out if they are not belted in.
I agree 100%. I had seat belts installed in our cart 2.5 years ago.. We use them religiously except on the golf course.
__________________
All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.
Winston Churchill
  #37  
Old 03-05-2015, 09:33 PM
JoMar JoMar is offline
Sage
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 4,814
Thanks: 10
Thanked 2,302 Times in 865 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegirl View Post
What percentage of carts have seatbelts in The Villages? Anyone want to hazard a guess? I know one person who has them.
My wife and I have them in both carts....now you know 2 more people that have them......lol
__________________
No one believes the truth when the lie is more interesting

Berks County Pennsylvania
  #38  
Old 03-06-2015, 05:46 AM
graciegirl's Avatar
graciegirl graciegirl is offline
Sage
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 40,004
Thanks: 4,850
Thanked 5,493 Times in 1,903 Posts
Send a message via AIM to graciegirl
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JoMar View Post
My wife and I have them in both carts....now you know 2 more people that have them......lol

I am not trying to dissuade anyone from getting seat belts installed.

I just don't think that percentagewise there are many seatbelts in golfcarts here in The Villages.

You are a helpful and good person JoMar and your posts are always sensible and positive.

I think people should also be warned about driving too fast and making abrupt turns. That slowing down on curves if very important and most of all do not drink and drive ANYTHING......and save your money.

Whoops there for a minute I thought I was talking to my grandchildren...but then I would have added. Don't drink and have unprotected sex.
__________________
It is better to laugh than to cry.
  #39  
Old 03-06-2015, 06:44 AM
Challenger's Avatar
Challenger Challenger is offline
Soaring Eagle member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,264
Thanks: 56
Thanked 369 Times in 162 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by twoplanekid View Post
I believe that graciegirl is making my point. She and I believe that golf carts are not cars and can be dangerous. She stated that “Fourteen people have died in golf cart accidents in the last five years. Some of them were liquor fueled. Some of them were lack of experience. All of them were because a golf cart is not an enclosed fortified vehicle.”

As far as publicly stating or advertising the use of carts as cars, graciegirl says “Part of the fun is driving a golf cart to the grocery, and to the dentist and doctors, and out to dinner and to the squares and to your friends home and to play golf and pickleball and swim, and bowl and .....well you get the picture.” Almost everyone says this about the use of golf carts in the Villages. Use them as cars.

Maybe I should never have used the word mandatory. So, lets back up a bit. If you could dream or make a wish for an upgrade to your cart that would make it safer for you to use on the intermodal roads, what would that be?

To make our golf cart operations safer should not be looked at as ridiculous. My look at this is very new and much less experience than most of you. So, I am relying on you to help me decide on the extra equipment that would be good to have to give me the best change of having an enjoyable and safe ride.
I also am a private pilot and would never fly until at least 12 hours after consumption of alcohol. No so with hundreds of cart and auto drivers in TV each day, and especially at night.
There is , among many of our residents, a culture of drinking and driving golf carts. See long lines at the drink shacks, and overflowing sidewalk cafes.
Virtually all of these folks jump into their cart or car to return home or go to the next drink site( in the dark)( with very bad and glaring head lights) Until more strigent ennforcement action is taken , the problem will grow worse. bbbbbbbbbbbbbb
__________________
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" Edmund Burke 1729-1797
  #40  
Old 03-06-2015, 07:42 AM
Madelaine Amee's Avatar
Madelaine Amee Madelaine Amee is offline
Sage
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: The Villages North
Posts: 4,274
Thanks: 1,216
Thanked 1,039 Times in 373 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Challenger View Post
I also am a private pilot and would never fly until at least 12 hours after consumption of alcohol. No so with hundreds of cart and auto drivers in TV each day, and especially at night.
There is , among many of our residents, a culture of drinking and driving golf carts. See long lines at the drink shacks, and overflowing sidewalk cafes.
Virtually all of these folks jump into their cart or car to return home or go to the next drink site( in the dark)( with very bad and glaring head lights) Until more stringent enforcement action is taken , the problem will grow worse. bbbbbbbbbbbbbb
Agree 100%. I think the majority of people think of them as toys. I also think "visitors" come to TV to have fun and a huge part of that fun is driving a golf cart, and being visitors to the area they have no idea how dangerous they are.
__________________
A people free to choose will always choose peace.

Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about!

Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak
  #41  
Old 03-06-2015, 09:10 AM
outlaw outlaw is offline
Soaring Eagle member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,009
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post
Default

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.
  #42  
Old 03-06-2015, 09:11 AM
twoplanekid's Avatar
twoplanekid twoplanekid is offline
Platinum member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: born Urbana,Il lived in Urbana Ohio for 65 years a house in Lake Deaton
Posts: 1,977
Thanks: 6
Thanked 683 Times in 280 Posts
Default

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.

Last edited by twoplanekid; 03-06-2015 at 03:23 PM.
  #43  
Old 03-06-2015, 09:15 AM
graciegirl's Avatar
graciegirl graciegirl is offline
Sage
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 40,004
Thanks: 4,850
Thanked 5,493 Times in 1,903 Posts
Send a message via AIM to graciegirl
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by twoplanekid View Post
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 live 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.
__________________
It is better to laugh than to cry.
  #44  
Old 03-06-2015, 09:28 AM
twoplanekid's Avatar
twoplanekid twoplanekid is offline
Platinum member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: born Urbana,Il lived in Urbana Ohio for 65 years a house in Lake Deaton
Posts: 1,977
Thanks: 6
Thanked 683 Times in 280 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegirl View Post
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!
  #45  
Old 03-06-2015, 09:31 AM
graciegirl's Avatar
graciegirl graciegirl is offline
Sage
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 40,004
Thanks: 4,850
Thanked 5,493 Times in 1,903 Posts
Send a message via AIM to graciegirl
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by twoplanekid View Post
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.
__________________
It is better to laugh than to cry.
Closed Thread

Thread Tools

You are viewing a new design of the TOTV site. Click here to revert to the old version.

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:28 AM.