VNN segment about kids driving golf carts

[mfp509]

There was just a segment on VNN about grandchildren visiting this summer and driving golf carts. It sounded like they were actually encouraging it. Not once did they mention the legal age of 14 as a requirement to drive a golf cart. They were telling grandparents to make sure that when their grandchildren drive the golf carts that they follow the rules and since maturity varies among children to use judgement when allowing them to drive or to take the cart alone. The term "legal age" was mentioned but not specified as 14. They should not be allowed to take the cart alone - I have seen teens loaded in golf carts driving fast on the golf cart paths and just howling when they round a corner too fast or run off into the grass. We are headed for disaster here with this and, unfortunately, I guess that's what it will take before they decide to clamp down.

A couple of weeks ago, there was a little boy I swear no older than 4 sitting in the driver's seat with feet dangling because he was so small and the grandfather operating the pedals from the passengers seat with his left foot.

The other day, a young boy maybe 10 was driving a golf cart that was so overloaded I couldn't count the people in it.

It's just a matter of time for a tragedy with increasing population and more grandchildren. Welcome to "Camp Villages"

[JohnN]

in my current neighborhood, (not TV *sigh),
a bunch of kids were just literally loaded on a cart, hanging off, speeding,

and one fell off and was seriously injured, having to be airlifted to the Little Rock hospital

[Sidney Lanier]

My wife is less concerned about the potential crazies out there, and she will yell at the adult in the golf cart who's letting a little child drive it. Sometimes they stop the cart and the adult takes over, and sometimes they just drive off. Until people who do this are penalized in the only way they're responsive to--in their pocketbooks--and even then I can already hear the whining, like the person who got snagged speeding through the school zone with the lights on the signs clearly complaining that he/she was 'targeted' because of out-of-state license plates--this behavior will continue. We can hardly start making 'citizen's arrests'; this has to be up to enforcement personnel, and let the word get around....

[Peggy D]

It must be the same family that had the kids too close to the buffilo.

I swear, some people have no common sense.

And when something tragic happens, they feel they are not to blame.

[Fourpar]

:clap2:What Peggy D said!

[redwitch]

I think some people remember the times when their kids were little and they let them sit on their laps and drive. This was normally done in very rural areas with no traffic. For some strange reason, they can't see the difference between an open field or a rural road with zero traffic and TV residential streets. What's sad is that it will probably take a few major tragedies before these people see the dangers.

I was at Spanish Springs tonight, parked behind TooJay's. As I was walking to the square two golf carts drove by, probably going between 20 and 30 mph. The front was driven by a boy about 11-12. The second by his older brother (they really did look alike), who was maybe 13 or 14 with a boy who was maybe 8 or 9. No adult was in either cart. Scary!

[chelsea24]

Peggy, that's funny! But you could be right. I couldn't believe the first time I saw three children alone driving a golf cart. The driver must have been 10. People never cease to amaze me.

[Hancle704]

As I was walking to the square two golf carts drove by, probably going between 20 and 30 mph. The front was driven by a boy about 11-12. The second by his older brother (they really did look alike), who was maybe 13 or 14 with a boy who was maybe 8 or 9. No adult was in either cart. Scary!


Wow what a missed opportunity for Police to issue multiple tickets.Over 20 MPH, it is no longer a golf cart. It is an unregistered motor vehicle, unless it had valid license plates and if that were the case, you would have a citation for an unlicensed operator. :cop:

Too bad they can't give out tickets for stupid grandparents who permit such a dangerous action. They wouldn't get away with that if Chelsea was out on patrol. :cop:

[DDoug]

You know you are all right,when I was younger we drove a tractor on the road on the farm but we were working and if we goofed around boy did we get our you know what kicked.But it is true our judgement reverts back to younger days as we get older.I dont understand why do the kids have to drive the cart,give them a bicycle,course that can be dangeruos here.

[disney07]

It's crazy that folks would put themselves into a position letting kids/young adults drive a golf cart unsupervised. 14-16 in age? The golf cart is a toy, a new trill ride that they don't get at home. Surely they need to realize lawyers are lined up waiting for the opportunity to represent a injured party or sue for damages to property. The responsible of the golf cart falls back onto the insurer of it. Allowing kids to drive their golf cart? That's a big gamble. How much are you willing to loose? Money? Worse the thought of injury to your grand kids, loved ones.

[SteveZ]

Letting kids "drive" golf carts is just another means of bribery. So many parents and grandparents want to be the "good guy" and "good guys" don't say NO to kids. That's what the entertainment media has bombarded the kids with, its what they believe. The result is that people who definitely know better get skull-soft around the little manipulators for fear of being told "you don't love me!"

If only the grown-ups would think and act like grown-ups, but just enough of them to be dangerous seem to view TV as FantasyLand, and they believe they can think and act as immature as their grandkids at no cost to anyone.

[captain1202]

OK, call me crazy, but I see nothing wrong with letting my grandson (7 yrs old) take a turn at the wheel with VERY CLOSE supervision. Look at the little kids running ATV's and dirt bikes.

Having said that, I would allow him to drive only on golf cart paths, not streets and I would "hover" over the brake and steering wheel.

I guess I come from a permissive family but I was running outboard motorboats and age 7 and driving the car up and down the driveway at 12.

The real key is proper supervision, which of course, is oftentimes completely lacking, not just with driving a cart.

[redwitch]

Captain, I have an issue with kids driving ATVs and minibikes, etc., but at least these are driven off road away from cars. I don't think it is wise but at least it is legal.

What you are doing with your grandchild is not only dangerous, it is illegal. It is against the law for a child under 14 to operate a golf cart. Personally, I do not like being on a golf cart path with a child coming towards me. Many of the paths are too narrow for that.

I guess the problem is that too many see no harm in letting their grandchild operate the cart with or without "close supervision." While driving my car, I almost ran over a boy when he and his friends/brothers were running around and jumping in and out of their moving cart. While on the golf cart path, I had to drive my scooter into the grass to prevent being hit by a 9 or 10 year old driving the cart with his grandfather beside him. While walking a dog, I had to go into the middle of a busy street because of a very young child driving while grandpa took care of the brakes and pedals. The kid was not even remotely driving in a straight line.

To me, letting your grandchild drive your cart is about as intelligent as sitting your grandchild on the fence to get a good picture with the buffalo. The majority of time nothing will happen but when it does, you have to live with the guilt that your grandchild was injured because of your bad judgment. I sincerely hope that day never comes for you.

[JohnN]

the law is the law, and there for a reason. if it's age 14, then that's what it oughta be

[bimmertl]

[quote=captain1202 ]
OK, call me crazy, but I see nothing wrong with letting my grandson (7 yrs old) take a turn at the wheel with VERY CLOSE supervision. Look at the little kids running ATV's and dirt bikes.


Great line, "Look at the little kids running ATV's and dirt bikes"

http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/071126/atv-injuries-on-the-rise.htm

[Fourpar]

Well Captain, its against the law, and it is so for a reason. And the reason has nothing to do with how closely you supervise your grand kid. It is dangerous to your grand kid, and anyone else in the vicinity, not to mention irresponsible.

Just imagine how you would feel if he got hurt. Then try to imagine explaining it to a judge if you/he hurt someone else.

PS. I too drove a tractor early on, but that was in farm country, not in a heavily populated, confined area like TV.

[mfp509]

A while back, my sister mailed me a Dear Abby column where someone had written in the exact same ideas as Captain concerning allowing a child to drive a golf cart - the writer attributed his spotless driving record to the fact that he drove a motorcycle and go-cart at the age of 5. He was defending allowing a 6 year old to drive the golf cart. One response was "a 6 year old driving a golf cart is child endangerment and a social worker has the right to remove that child to a foster home and ask questions later. The parents would then be under a microscope." It went on to say "If the grandparents knew about the situation and did not report it to the authoriities then they would not be considered safe guardians for that child and the child would be placed with strangers until the parents finish court-ordered parenting classes." This response was from Texas.

This should apply to any adult allowing a child to drive a golf cart - any state.

[beady]

Oh please, child endangerment...... We are turning our childrens,children into pampered ,protected and coddled creatures. Parents are afraid to discipline these children because child services can swoop in and take the children away. How many times have you endured a screaming child in a restaurant because the parents do not dare or care to correct them in a public place. I simply removed my children from public situations when they were misbehaving. I am sometimes appauled at how children sass their elders with no reprimand from the parents.Discipline and love have to be equal in raising a child.
It all comes down to common sense and their seems to be an enormous lack of that these days, such as allowing children driving carts without an adult. I will let my grandchild drive the cart and I will not put him or myself in a dangerous situation while doing so.I won't take him out in traffic, or on the golf paths when they are busy, but I cannot see the danger of driving around the neighborhood or up and down the driveway.

[redwitch]

Beady, I was at a friend's house. Her neighbor thought like you. Before her grandmother could slam on the brakes, the golf cart had hit the edge of one of the lawn trailers. Suffice it to say after $5K damage to the cart, the granddaughter (age 10) won't be driving the cart even with grandma in the cart. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Regardless of child endangerment (it is but that's another issue), it is against the law. That alone should be enough of a deterrent although it obviously isn't for many.

[mfp509]

The law is the law. Every adult, parent or grandparent, who allows a child under the age of 14, in this state anyway, to drive a golf cart is breaking the law and is setting an example that it is okay to not abide by the rules. It is disgusting today how there is no respect for policemen or the laws. Look at where it comes from. Also, I do consider this child endangerment just like the person sitting the grandchild up on the fence to see the buffalo. I see no difference.

[beady]

I believe the difference between the buffalo and cart situations is.... the child on the fence is openly tempting a wild animal without any safe guards. The child in the cart with an adult is in a teaching situation with checks and balances for safety, in our case , anyway.

When my grandson drove our cart under my husbands supervision, we were unaware of the state law. So, we were breaking the law but the child was not aware his grandparents were setting a bad example.

Considering the many children driving carts, the sheriff's office is missing a fortune in revenue from enforcement.

[sandybill2]

We have heard--and I am afraid I am having one of my many senior moments and can't remember where---that if someone is caught driving a golf cart under the age of 14 they will be issued a "ticket" and that it will affect their getting their driver's license and their insurance coverage. We are from Virginia and were told that Virginia is one of the states that Florida notifies of such "tickets." I just remember thinking that we would not be letting our 13 year old granddaughter drive our cart during her visit this summer. We were also told that everyone should read their Golf Cart Insurance policy to make sure they were covered for even 14 year olds to drive their cart.

[tucson]

Oh please, child endangerment...... We are turning our childrens,children into pampered ,protected and coddled creatures. Parents are afraid to discipline these children because child services can swoop in and take the children away. How many times have you endured a screaming child in a restaurant because the parents do not dare or care to correct them in a public place. I simply removed my children from public situations when they were misbehaving. I am sometimes appauled at how children sass their elders with no reprimand from the parents.Discipline and love have to be equal in raising a child.
It all comes down to common sense and their seems to be an enormous lack of that these days, such as allowing children driving carts without an adult. I will let my grandchild drive the cart and I will not put him or myself in a dangerous situation while doing so.I won't take him out in traffic, or on the golf paths when they are busy, but I cannot see the danger of driving around the neighborhood or up and down the driveway.

Re; quote "I cannot see the danger of driving around the neighborhood or up and down the driveway". When I was living in Ma. a grandmother also thought that it was o.k. to let her 9 yr. old grandson do the same and he "accidently" put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake and he was killed! And she (the grandmother) was sitting right next to him! She now has this terrible torment for the rest of her life knowing that she made a terrible decision. "I rest my case".

[beady]

Like I said checks and balances and common sense. Our grandchild was in the cart with my husband,whose foot was controlling the pedal, while the child was steering.

Today I was waiting at the lights exiting Polo Ridge at Beuna Vista. An adult male driving a cart with 2 children in it crossed Beuna Vista on a red light into Saddlebrook. Yes, that's right, across Beuna Vista which had a green light. The cart tunnel is right there but he chose to cut across a county road. Brilliant......that's against the law :cop: and child endangerment. What a great example he set for his grandchildren.

"I rest my case"

[gingersmom]

I just want to add my two cents. The grandparents who let their grankids drive the golf cart are forgetting about the cars that share the roads with these carts in the golf cart lane. I used to work for a PI lawyer here in TV and we had an entire docket of cases where people in cars hit golf carts and the drivers of the carts had serious head injuries. I say NO to letting children drive vehicles that can travel up the 20+ mph without seat belts. Thanks for letting me vent.

[borjo]

I've not seen anyone say they have stopped the young cart driver and spoke to them or the adult in the cart that they may get into trouble since the child looks too young to be driving. I've chased down one, spoke to the young mother and spoke to another in their driveway. They looked like they were visitors and may not have known the law. Neither of them gave me a problem, I was courteous enough and so were they. If we speak up we may prevent an accident.

[graciegirl]

It must be the same family that had the kids too close to the buffilo.

I swear, some people have no common sense.

And when something tragic happens, they feel they are not to blame.


:agree: :agree: :agree: :agree: :agree:

YES Indeedy. I SO agree!!!

[graciegirl]

Letting kids "drive" golf carts is just another means of bribery. So many parents and grandparents want to be the "good guy" and "good guys" don't say NO to kids. That's what the entertainment media has bombarded the kids with, its what they believe. The result is that people who definitely know better get skull-soft around the little manipulators for fear of being told "you don't love me!"

If only the grown-ups would think and act like grown-ups, but just enough of them to be dangerous seem to view TV as FantasyLand, and they believe they can think and act as immature as their grandkids at no cost to anyone.

YOU ARE SO RIGHT!! :agree: :agree: :agree:

[Mintjulep]

When I was in TV recently, I noticed many children driving golf carts alone (some driving dangerously IMO) in the Crispers and 466 Walmart areas.
I felt the need several times to drive extra defensively.

I was curious if some of these kids were coming from the all ages neighborhood nearby.
I was told one of the the new developments back between Walmart and Chrispers was all ages.
Anyone know for sure???
If so, as these neighborhoods fill up, hopefully the parents will be responsible and not use golf carts as babysitters and boredom busters.

[mfp509]

Like I said checks and balances and common sense. Our grandchild was in the cart with my husband,whose foot was controlling the pedal, while the child was steering.

Today I was waiting at the lights exiting Polo Ridge at Beuna Vista. An adult male driving a cart with 2 children in it crossed Beuna Vista on a red light into Saddlebrook. Yes, that's right, across Beuna Vista which had a green light. The cart tunnel is right there but he chose to cut across a county road. Brilliant......that's against the law :cop: and child endangerment. What a great example he set for his grandchildren.

"I rest my case"
So I guess this justifies letting your grandson drive the golf cart and break the law also. If someone runs a red light and gets away with it, I'm still not going to run a red light and put myself in danger or set a bad example. I rest MY case!

[Taltarzac]

When I was in TV recently, I noticed many children driving golf carts alone (some driving dangerously IMO) in the Crispers and 466 Walmart areas.
I felt the need several times to drive extra defensively.

I was curious if some of these kids were coming from the all ages neighborhood nearby.
I was told one of the the new developments back between Walmart and Chrispers was all ages.
Anyone know for sure???
If so, as these neighborhoods fill up, hopefully the parents will be responsible and not use golf carts as babysitters and boredom busters.


I do not believe any people are in these yet but they could be??? Bison Valley is the name of one of these.