6 to 9 year old driving with shameful parent
 

I got a real loud shout from a 40ish parent, a big FU, with the little one driving the golf cart around morse roundabout yesterday, i told him the little one "should not be driving"
I have to make the assumption that they both are visiting, so shame on the grandparents!
:grumpy:

:(

I have often seen children driving a golf cart. They generally, are with an obvious grandparent.

I would like to report them but by the time I could do so, they already would be off into the sunset not to be found.

strangers yelling at strangers in not a good thing. could end up trouble you cant get out of!

We drove behind an adult driver with 3 kids on the cart...sounds fine, right??
The driver may have been the dad (30's) and the kids were less than middle school age. One child was in the passenger seat while the other 2 kids were sitting on the back bumpers holding onto the golf bag holder! Scarey!!! They were on the multi-modal going towards the Morse bridge and LSL.

That was just plain stupid making them hold on to the bag straps. They should have been strapped in to the bag holder. Sheesh.

calll the police and follow the golf carters the police arrive. it is about time we take back control of our community and do not allow outsiders to hold us hostage. enough. i am mad as hell and i am not going to take it anymore!

How are we being held hostage?

we are too afraid to defend our community. when others come into our home (invited or otherwise) they need to respect our rules and our way of life. when we have abandoned our rights, then we are hostages.....controlled by others.

are these "rules" you speak of written down, printed out, posted and distributed?? Or should we all just make up our own as we go along?

common sense

Some do not seem to have any! Also, deplorable language that should not be used regardless of the children's presence. Children learn from their surroundings, IMO.

Linda

Last time I checked nobody's controlling me and I'm not hostage to no one.. happy happy happy.

Pity the automobile driver who accidentally runs over and kills or maims the child driver and passengers when they roll the cart in a roundabout, dumping the driver and riders out under other car and truck wheels. Or when kids with no seat belts in the back end fall out onto the pavement and under car/truck wheels.

you'd have to be a complete lunatic to allow a child to drive a golf cart and most especially on the Morse Blvd round about. Some people are just plain stupid!

Kids driving golf carts, dogs in restaurants....I guess now we all get to do whatever "feels good".

I guess all the old rules that got us where we are as a society today are for the uninformed and unenlightened.

It's the law in Florida you have to be 14 to drive a golf cart.

Although the OP was telling us about a much younger child of six to nine, young drivers even if they are old enough to drive and have licenses are still faced with the unfamiliar pathways and golf cart traffic. I have too often seen some too fast turns and some "showing off" of young drivers.

We see it every year at Spring Break time. I will try to republish the picture of the young men standing next to grandpa's wrecked golf cart in front of Sweetbay a couple of years ago from this forum. There is absolutely nothing we can do but feel anguish and worry at this very scary behavior.


The well intentioned calling out from the OP about a very little person driving, got back the new version of mind your own business, I will run you old farts down with my kid driving and hurt her and shut up old stupid man. He is the same guy who will defend that child if the teacher says she is misbehaving in school.


Venting does make us feel better. But that is all we can do. Another reason for some kind of numbers on the cart but taking pictures while driving is another risky behavior. We can't forget that 13 people have been killed in golf cart accidents here in the last four years. Be VERY very careful please.


https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...11-photo-3.jpg

The deaths and stupid driving has very little to do with the age of the driver. I have witnessed many dangerous drivers in golf carts over the years, but none have had drivers under 50. How many of us learned to drive a car while sitting on dad's laps steering while he worked the peddles. Before putting the blame on our young folks, read this link for the facts.

http://www.americanownews.com/story/...f-cart-dangers

NOTE: The very young have not gained experience. The very old have lost their reflexes. Both are dangerous behind the wheel.

Most of the times I've witnessed close calls on the cart paths or roads were due to speeding and near loss of control of a cart, a senior was behind the wheel. I've very seldom seen teenagers flying around wrecklessly in a cart here in the villages and most were very polite in their manners. Seniors should know better.

That's all you got from the OP? That kid should NOT have been driving a golf cart!!

I can't believe that you think it is OK for anyone to ride on the back of a golf cart. That's extremely dangerous. The straps were not designed to hold people. They go through the handle of your golf bag and kids don't have handles. They can still fall out and be run over.

This is another reason that golf carts should have a means of identification. You can't always follow one. If you are in a golf cart, maybe; but not necessarily when you are in a car. A prime example is a few months ago someone's Corvette was hit by a golf cart and the driver backed up and left the scene of the accident. To my knowledge, the owner of the Corvette had to repair at their own expense or insurance's expense.

I've seen some teens driving carefully, but the concern is those under 14 driving a cart. Even if with an adult, not sure this is safe..for those in the cart and others....and it's prohibited by law in this state. What type of message does that convey to grandkids? You can break the law and scream profanities at those who feel you are no exception to the rules?

Playing Devil's Advocate Here
 

I'm going to take a chance and play Devil's Advocate, but first, I want to say that I also would never let little ones drive a golf cart.
It would be potentially dangerous and foolhardy, to say the least.

However, up in New England and New York State, lots of "kids" have ATV's, little motor bikes and snowmobiles......which they ride with their parents. Maybe, the parents were thinking the code of conduct was transferable? Who knows.

There have been some tragic accidents up here with little ones getting into serious trouble on the ATV's and snowmobiles, etc.

With the fast speed of the traffic we experienced in The Villages, I know I would not allow my grandchildren to be out and about on a golf cart.........and might even be worried about them riding a bicycle unless it was right in a quiet neighborhood.

Our son in law taught their three to cycle responsibly on twisty turny country roads from a young age.........they went all over on their bicycles, and always bring their bikes when they visit us, going up and down the hills and all over town which has no sidewalks for the most part......so maybe, just maybe, some of those visitors were also from the "country" and not the city.

But, I do agree with original poster. I would worry and say NO.
But, grandparents are often over ruled by the middle aged adult parents.

That's true. Breaking the law and shouting obscenities at others sets a poor example of behavior to children. Driving the cart under 14 is against the law here in Florida. In a pinch the little ones make for a designated driver though.:D

Hopefully you really didn't believe I think that is ok. Right! Coffee shot right thru my nose when I read this.:duck:

Sorry, if I took it the wrong way, but we have actually seen kids standing on the back of a golf cart and the straps around them. I didn't know if you might have been that person or not. Again, sorry.

Policing
 

Kid's under 14 driving is really a "Policing" problem and it would be nice to have a Sheriff assigned to monitoring these violations during critical times, (e.g. Holidays when kids are out of school and most likely with Grandma and Grandpa
in The Villages.) At Graduating time you could always watch for students taking golf carts and running over the courses, at holiday times you can alway plan on the Grandparents allowing the young kids to treat the Golf Cart like it is a toy. IT IS NOT, We see it many times and just marvel at how stupid the adults are who allow this practice. Where the heck is the Sheriff's Office. I know they have other things but this should be one of their "OTHER THINGS".:ho:

Not a problem. I was not offended.

The sheriff's office is in Bushnell and a branch on Morse Blvd near CR466.

thanks gracie. you are consistently a voice of reason in this wilderness.

Never mind the rules or the language. What about the safety of the child? A golf cart is not a toy.

You are so right. These morons think they can walk all over us for a week or so and then go home. I know I worked hard to deserve a community like this and I'm not letting anyone or their kids ruin it. There must be others that feel the same way.

Me!

I do.

Me too.

I have seen this situation many times in TVs . Let's hope no kid gets injured by a non thinking parent.

I know this thread is as much about rudeness as it is the age of the cart driver, but my how times have changed on when to drive what. My dad owned a Ford tractor dealership when I was a kid. He let us drive the farm tractors around the parking lot at a young age, initially with an adult ridng along, but then when old enough, alone. With my siblings and cousins we sometimes had 7 or 8 kids driving tractors around in an oval at a time. After a couple more years the final step was to be allowed to drive a new tractor in the convoy of new tractors from the train station to the garage, 3 miles on a two lane major state highway. Finally I was allowed to do that. I was 7 years old.

Yep, my Dad would be arrested today for that. I confess I was a bit stricter with my kids!

To the OP This is Florida's friendliest home town not. The dumbest home town. Golf cars aren't real cars they are toys for kids of stupid people. JMO

Three days ago I was driving on Bachman and turned onto Dorst when, in the opposite direction was a cart with the grandfather in the front passenger seat holding a 3 year old boy in his lap. The driver was a 5 year old girl. I stopped my car and blocked his way and told him to exchange places immediately or I was calling the police. Needless to say he did not like being told what to do. The kids thought it was funny and laughed the entire time. When I picked up my phone he decided to change places. He told me to go back where I came from which is down the street. He said he was a villager and Oh what a surprise - he identified himself as a retired teacher. So it is not always the outsiders who are breaking the rules or are idiots. I wonder if he would let the little girl his car?

another angle
 

I know this comes up often but another point is that....having all of the cart access is a priviledge and not a right....it would be horrid if there was a bad accident.....someone sued and then .....no longer golf carts allowed off of golf courses so there is a vested interest by all to be diligent and do your part when you see this type of thing happening.....not just for the safety of the child/children but also to maintain the freedom that is there (Ie Remember the buffalo)