Golf Cart Accident on BUena Vista Rec Trail
 

Serious golf cart accident on Buena Vista Recreational trail, just north of 466A at Turtle Mound, Looked like a head on. People are being tended to Ambulance police fire truck in route. Hope all is well, nothing to serious.

Scary
 

I saw the carts with one piled onto the side of the other in the curve at Turtle Mound near 466A. I've had a couple of close calls there myself. Just one more of the reasons I sold the Yamaha cart last week and will stick to the car. Prayers for those involved.

We've had close calls there at that last curve before 466A with people cutting the corner. Hope the injuries are not too serious.

We've seen a few fly around the corners like they must think no one else in the villages uses those trails. See it all over TV.

:gc:Wish they had golf cart Police on the trails I would gladly pay an additional amenity fee to cover cost.

I just read that the Florida Highway Patrol is investigating this accident. That really surprised me. I didn't think that they would investigate and accident on a cart path.

I concur. We frequently see TOTV comments regarding the lack of oversight our respective sheriffs have over carts on the multimodal paths. So I was really surprised to see the FHP involved.

I passed the accident shortly after it happened. 2 SC Sheriff cars; 2 fire trucks, at least 1 ambulance and a large group of carts. I wonder if the uninjured driver had a seat belt on and the injured driver/passenger did not?

I suspect that a motor vehicle (carts fall within that definition) accident resulting in personal injury requires law enforcement presence and investigation.

I think they can investigate and report on the accident. It involves motor vehicles and injury. Because it occurred on the recreation trail I don't believe any citations can be issued.

Citations can be issued; open container, DUI, underage driver, etc.

Good to know. Thanks.

Been here for over 5 years and this is the craziest year for driving behaviors ever, both carts and cars. We have had so many close calls while driving our golf cart this year, it is scary.

The worst or closest one was when we were driving our golf cart on St. Charles southbound approaching Pennecamp. We were slowing down to make the right onto Pennecamp when some idiot driving a large Class A motorhome towing a pickup truck made an abrupt right onto Pennecamp Drive (no turn signal, of course). Good brakes and the fact that we were slowing down to make the turn saved us.

Carts and cars alike, in going on eight years, I have never seen more rude drivers of both types of vehicles in manners and speeding. I would recommend stiff penalties. By the way, all of our friends are saying the same thing.

I came up on the accident before EMTs Police got there it looked like the situation was under control and I would only have made a bigger crowd so I passed on. would really hope that injuries were not severe. Any updates on condition of occupants involved would be welcome.

We were going down Woodridge the other night coming up to Southern Trace and a car turned right onto Woodridge so fast he hit the curb on the left. Luckily we were still far enough back to avoid them. If there were a car or cart at the stop they would have hit. Every day is a challenge.

Some ding-dong turned in front of us today in a parking lot. I guess we were supposed to stop because he had on his left hand blinker and we were simply going straight. We got the finger because we had to slam on brakes to keep from hitting him. Jiminies.

Yes, we all have to drive as if everyone else is a complete idiot. Because, as it turns out, it could well be true.

Yesterday there was a white crossover SUV going the wrong way in the roundabout at BV & St. Charles. It had FL plates, so we wondered if he supposedly knew his way around TV. But maybe not.

I am afraid that as The Villages get larger and larger, we are seeing the beginning of how things very well may become. I grew up being taught that it was only common courtesy to hold doors open for ANYONE who was following even relatively close behind you. This fall/winter I have almost been knocked down twice by men (60 ish ??) who came charging through the door as soon as I opened it to go through. Never a thank you, or excuse me. Then there have been numerous times I was pretty much right behind a man who saw me, but only opened the door enough for himself and let the door shut-almost hitting me in the face. Obviously there are still mostly wonderful people around here, but the bigger we get, the more we will see this kind of stuff.

Just curious as to why the Florida Highway Patrol was called in to investigate? It's seem to me like Sumter County Sheriff Dept. could have handled it on their own.

We are a "city" of 100,000 people, there are going to be collisions and other unpleasant things happening. We should drive defensively whether in our cars or carts. I still think this is the best place to be and I will remember that no one is perfect and I'll watch out for the "other guy". Just as if I were anywhere else.

They have to be from anywhere but the South; true Southern people do say "thank you" when doors are opened for them. I stop in a local Quik Trip a couple of days a week here in KC and I always try to pick someone who looks like there having a bad day and I'll pay for what ever the have in hopes they have a better day; most of the time it appears to. Whenever I make it to TV this year, I'll try it on out on our friends from the north and see what happens.

If they were going the wrong way in the roundabout, it was more than likely a European, and I would think in a rental car if the plates were from Florida.

Several years ago we were waiting to enter the traffic circle at Savannah when we saw this very big SUV creeping round the roundabout the wrong way, but people were wonderful to them, the traffic had stopped to let him get off the roundabout and onto BV.

Maybe the villages need to invest in some more speed bumps. Another danger spot coming out of tunnels. Lots verily slow down. I can see future accident plowing into side cart. Nice big speed bump before the Stop sign might work at least slowing some carts down on the ones that don't. Maybe on blind corners on the trials also? I am surprised LSV are not in more accidents due to the extra, width, length, and speed on the paths. Especially around corners.

In most states a serious accident or fatality is considered a crime scene and police are involved, regards less of vehicle.

No. They are from Ohio.

But we let people pay for themselves and do things sneakily and privately to help if we can...and like Tippyclub on here who brought chicken soup to friend with the flu....keep the world heading in the right direction. I have information that this happens with people who a lot of other states call "rednecks".

I am just kidding. There are people from the east coast who hold doors who live here. I know both of them. ;)

I don't own or drive a golf cart. Honestly after observing golf cart drivers, they really are too big to fit in a golf cart. You can't control a vehicle that doesn't fit your body. Also, carts with their short wheelbase are too"quick" for older drivers with slower physical responses. They react way to fast for older drivers.

speed bumps at all the gates wouldn't be a bad idea either!

At golf today someone told me 17 deaths in 4 years due to golf cart accidents. Someone here gave a statistic too. I couldn't find it. Is that true?

I would like to read the reports and see if there are common denominators that can be corrected by changing the road condition.

A few tunnels have speed bumps and they make people slow down. I don't have a cart for now so I bike the paths. I stay mostly south and I know of only a couple of blind spots. A speed bump before a blind spot makes sense to me. I use the tunnel mirrors.

Just telling people to slow down is overly optimistic. Another guy in my group said that insurance will not cover any losses if your cart can go over 20 mph. Is that true?

Seat belts make sense. You would like to think that the person not wearing the seat belt made that decision and if they get hurt it wouldn't bother the driver in the other cart but I don't think most people are built that way.

I find no difference in the way people drive----doesn't matter what part of the country you spent you're"other life". Some studies actually show that older drivers are more careful and have fewer accidents. Yep, there are always exceptions!

Perhaps we don't stay as focused as we should when driving our golf carts. There are lots of beautiful "things" to see when in your open air golf cart.

14 deaths in the last five years. The POA bulletin and the online news have reported them. You will find that they were due to a lot of different circumstances but the bottom line is that an open vehicle does not protect a soft body.

People have been thrown out and hit their head, People have run into trees and other obstacles including carts and cars and people driving other vehicles including carts and cars have run into them. Some folks were driving while impaired and some were not. It was due, as I said before to a lot of different things. A person who is 40 has a slow reaction time if they're drunk.

You know how I hate age bias.

According to AAA
"Seniors are safe drivers compared to other age groups, since they often reduce risk of injury by wearing safety belts, observing speed limits, and not drinking and driving. However, they are more likely to be injured or killed in traffic crashes due to age-related vulnerabilities, such as more fragile bones."

Fact's and Research click here for more

This research is about cars not carts. But if you subtract not wearing seat belts, not speeding and not drinking. I wonder what the count would be. You can't do anything about the fragile bones or someone that veers into you. You can't do anything about a vehicle that is designed to go 12 mph and is more likely to flip at 20 mph. I asked that question today at golf and someone said the the 20 mph vehicles are built differently.

Bottom line ,golf carts are death traps--get a seat belt, it might help--NO SMALL CHILDREN IN THE FRONT SEATS OF A GOLF CART

Today's Villages News paper has a write up Page C-12

Was at a presentation by the Sheriffs department and they said there were about 5 deaths in the last 4 years and they were all ejected from the carts. This was prior to the Morse Blvd death. For a supposedly intelligent group of people we still have many that don't use seat belts in carts and sadly, many don't use them in their cars.

Most, if not all accidents, are due to distraction and loss of focus while driving or just aggressive driving. Wonder what it will look like when a cart hits a speed bump at speed?

Our insurance agent explained that if you are in an accident and the police determine that you were going faster than 20 MPH the carrier can deny benefits. Insurance company's get funny when you ask them to pay while doing something illegal. On balance, I have also learned that your agent can tell you any thing but you really won't know the truth until the Insurance Company gets involved because you want them to pay you.