The 20 mph speed limit
 

This 20 mph thing is a can of worms, because it's based on the assumption that the cart is on level ground on a windless day. Our carts have high wind resistance, and tests I've done using an accurate speedometer have shown that my (gas) cart can go 2-3 mph faster if there's a vigorous tailwind, and conversely can be that much slower if going into a strong wind. If going down a steep hill (ry Stillwater Trail where it starts at the top of the hill on Odell Circle), i've seen 25 mph! Going uphill can knock 2-3 mph off your speed. So, depending upon which of these circumstances are in place at the time a cop zaps you with his radar gun (e.g. going downhill with a tailwind), a speeding citation may well be an unfair event. I keep an eye on wind and grade, and if I were ticketed unfairly I would be prepared to fight it in court - a $500 fine is not a trifling penalty!

I found it strange that after having my yearly service at Villages Carts in Brownwood was told that they adjusted my top speed to 21.5 mph. Are they giving me an extra 1.5 mph because the police will probably give us 2.0 mph? I believe it is a must to have a speedometer because as was pointed out many variables can effect your speed.

If you are not prepared to be responsible for you actions have them set maximum speed to 15. There is no logic to the OP.

How is being ticketed for going over 20 MPH, regardless of whether it is caused by moving downhill or the wind, unfair? It is your responsibility to control the speed of your cart regardless of the conditions.

A speedometer should be mandatory on all carts same as signals and lights.

Because it is just plain idiotic. Drivers who go 70 or 80 in their cars can probably control a golf cart at 20.001 mph. That being said, the LAW, from the other thread is that over 20 makes it a LSV subject to registration etc. The law is also idiotic, but it is what it is. Therefore, why not make the speed limit on MMPs or for carts on roads 17 mph---you'll have a leeway for tailwinds/hills and the like, and you (probably) won't get cited for 19. And if you do, it won't be the "felony" others claim it to be. This would also make the "slower is safer" crowd happy. Of course, why not everyone just get on their hands and knees and crawl to their destination--safer yet. You can tie your golf bag to you leg and drag it.

The law is 20 MPH. If you don't like it then you can certainly work to try and change it. In the interim, like many things in life that we don't agree with, exceed it at your own peril. I am sure this thread will go on and on for many pages but the law is quite clear.

To quote an old adage, "a fool and his money are soon parted"!

hchilds - Should you find it necessary to go to court to defend yourself, plese post the date/time/location of the event...I for one would like to be there to hear your defense.

Wow. I would love to see a LEO's reaction to that dissertation of speeding.

Shakespeare said it best
 

It would be regarded as ......... "...full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." (Macbeth, Act V, Scene V).

To my way of thinking this topic is not complete without considering average speed. My speedometer also records average speed and it is average speed that counts on multi-modals paths. Because of such factors as capacity weather, etc carts actually travel a lot less than 20 mph. I have no need for a speed above 20mph because with my gas cart I can maintain a decent average speed, unlike my electric cart. Notice then that a cart traveling at a speed below 16mph is probably averaging 14mph perhaps less.

The planners for The Villages continue to expand and with that expansion calls for residents to travel further. To my way of thinking it becomes burdensome to continue the charade of mph when a 5 mph difference is not a material especially because of factoring in average speed. I say that with the thought of safety above all else.

If you analyze the accidents that have occurred most are not caused by speed but misjudgments. Also analyze injuries sustained as many are attributed more to the fragile state of the injured individual.

Having said all of that I follow the 20mph rule because of safety and of course fines

This goes against every "New York" fiber in my being, but I must disagree. I wouldn't want to try to explain to a LEO who cites you for 22, as well as having "an unregistered LSV", that yes, I was going 22 but my speedometer gives an average of 18. After all, if in a 40 mph zone cars turning, traffic lights and rubbernecking causes me to average 20 mph for 1/2 the trip, does that mean I am free to drive 60 for the other half? While I also absolutely hate to agree with the "you're retired, what's the rush" crowd, I have to here as well. If you travel 5 miles in your cart, which is probably the longest you would generally do, the difference between 15 mph and 20 mph is 5 min---you can figure a difference of 1 minute per mile for shorter trips. If you're that tight on your tee time, you'll probably pull a muscle on the first swing anyway. So leave a few minutes earlier and be safer
But.... to those who argue that golf carts are designed to go 13 mph and are unstable at higher speeds---true, on turns and side hill lies on a golf course. But just as you don't drive the 35 mph expressway exit ramp at 75, you don't take a curve on a MMP at full speed. It's called driving skills, which some people seem to lack once they get behind the wheel of a cart.
My pet peeve is really restricted to the interstates. Driving 1200 miles at 75 is 16 hours, at 50 it is 24 hours. So my tolerance for those bozos that park themselves in the left lane at 50 mph is ZERO. Same is true for those that pull out to pass a slow truck, but never manage to pass them. If that's the limit of your ability to control a car, GET OFF and take back roads instead. At least you'll be annoying someone else. There's a huge difference between 8 hours on a long trip and 2 minutes on a 2 mile MMP cart trip. Sorry to vent, but I have to make this drive in 9 days and I know what I will encounter.

With all the intersections and tunnels, I find it's difficult to average better than 12 mph on a trip of any length no matter what my maximum speed is set at. My car is governed at 155 mph, but over a 1000 miles travel around the local area, including some 90-100 mph (for the record, I really didn't do this) very brief sections, I only average 29 mph!

Why not just take the train and also bring your car with you? I think there is that service from NY.

Funny that a majority of Villagers think it is mandatory to drive a golf cart at full speed all the time. I have 2 carts and can exceed 20MPH by 3-4 MPH but I maintain a speed between 19-21. Your cars can exceed 100MPH but you do not drive it flat out so why is there a need to do so in a golf cart.

If you get caught by a LEO and face a hefty fine, guess what, take responsibility. Don't want to do that, lift up on your right foot when driving the golf cart.

Even if your cart is set for 25 MPH, you will often be caught in a line of carts doing 19 or 20. That just causes unneeded aggravation.

The only auto-train leaves from Lorton, VA and comes into Sanford. The trip to Lorton is the worst 7-??? hours of the trip. Besides, we go to Raleigh, NC to see the grandchildren on the way.

Well, my cart governed at 20 mph. If I go down hill and I notice the speedometer going over 20 MPH I put my foot on thing called brakes. You know the gizmo beside the go pedal. I doubt anybody got ticket going 21 or 22 mph down hill. I guessing it's the Blazen cart owners got the speed turns up to 25 or 30 plus mph. They get caught going 23 plus the road on level or incline. It would be obvious the cart is ILLEGAL.

I'm guessing there is calabration plus or minus limit on radars so MPH or two over IMO not worth ticketing, but my indeed worth warning? I am sure there are some retired officers that can elaborate??

Hi golfing eagles: that's not what I said. I wasn't talking about max speeds. What I said was that the top speed didn't matter because most of the time it won't or can't be used.

what i said was the material difference was average speed. With my gas cart I can maintain close to avg speed be it a steady 15mph 17 mph, etc. I couldn't get a steady mph with my electric cart. So traveling to and from a golf course i can maintain a steady 15 mph or 17 mph depending on obstructions on MMP's. I didn't say if a cop stopped me i would say but my average speed was.........

Personal Best Regards:

My bad. Must have been thinking in absolutes that day--Didn't even catch the difference between gas and electric. Might have been a Freudian slip---when I get stuck around D.C I wish I could drive 100 through the Carolinas--of course , that still would only bring my average up to 8 mph:1rotfl:

Has anyone noticed the OP has 2 posts? Hhhhmmmmmmmmmm................

My electric golf cart max speed is 19.5 and a governor kicks in going downhill to prevent it from going any faster.

For me, this is a non issue.

BTW - 23 posts and counting, (including mine).

Clarification (added later): I do not wish to remove the contents in a post even if I may be mistaken. When I hear the term governor in a golf cart, I think a gas cart. I never call regenerative braking or a speed controller (electric cart) a governor. I am likely wrong here in my definition of governor.

Which governor? Must be from a state like MA or CA where they must protect everyone from them selves .... I had no idea you could hire them out...

Forgive me, I am just being silly, as electrics carts have no such thing :D

Just book a row of seats! :popcorn:

WELCOME to TV new OP. I hope you love the villages!

If you look at his profile he is a recently retired physician (probably a friend of golfingeagles). His email address is indicative of his membership in the Massachusetts Medical Society. And he likes twin engine jets. He is a legitimate guy.

Personally I'm hoping to see his twin JET engine golf cart blasting past me on the MMP.

Electrics do have a governor if you have an electric and it doesnt restrict your speed going down hill it has been eliminated. ( let me say club cars do)

What is Aviation Medicine? Obviously it is about health while flying or disturbances of health while flying. Where would one practice?

In the air???

Seriously, hopefully the OP will respond, but usually in association with an airline or the military. My kudos to the OP, I've done some FAA physicals for private pilots and they are a PITA. It's probably worse for commercial pilots.

I'm really looking forward to his participation in TOTV. I think docs add a level of posts and jokes that are worth reading. And if he is a native of NE he is likely to have a droll sense of humor. Right up my alley. Ayup. Ayup. (the second "ayup" is done as a backdraft while inhaling)

The 20 MPH to qualify for being classified as a Golf Cart is used only by the manufacture and the regulators for classification purposes. It defines the threshold between an LSV and a Golf Cart. It does not mean the cart will not be capable of going faster under some circumstances. Its up to the operator of the cart to obey the speed limit. These Golf Carts were never meant to be transportation on city streets. Probably what needs to be done is another classification and a set of specifications to define a cart to be used city streets.

I always enjoyed the question on the Third Class physical where you were to state if you are a terrorist or not. I now fly as a sport pilot and self-certify using the driver’s license.

I have never been asked the question as to whether I was a terrorist on a third class medical. Hopefully the 3rd Class Medical will no longer be required. There are more then enough votes in the Senate to pass BPOR2.

I am happy to certify you as a good guy who drove your GRANDKIDS through Plains Ga to attend a Sunday School class of of Jimmy Carter's. You should not have to certify to any human again.

CartWorld insists on setting the max speed as 19.2 or the warranty is not valid! I'm fighting with the cart the entire time to get at least 19mph on the paths. Going uphill is 17-18 with people passing me, yelling at me and an occasional finger flying in my direction. There was a horrible rattle when I first got the brand new 2015 cart... that's when CartWorld took the cart, turned the RPM's down to 19.2 which still has not fixed the rattle. The 2nd time I used the cart at night, I kept smelling an electrical burning smell and sure enough the headlight burned out leaving a huge hole (about 3-4" in the headlight 'casing')... They replaced it, fixed the mirror that they mounted incorrectly (we fixed the side mirrors that were not mounted properly) and then Friday night all the lights went out & no turn signals, no headlights, no horn, no emergency flashers...NOTHING! I bought the cart in September 2015 and received it on Sep 30th! I don't use it every day and it was in the shop for about a week....hmmmm ~ I think I've actually been able to use it 4 weeks and 3 days! Since we feel something should be done (it's obviously a LEMON), service department told us to talk to sales! REALLY??? The service department didn't FIX the problem the first time causing more problems.... Not happy with CartWorld at all!!

FL has a lemon law that applies to vehicles. You may want to check and see if it pertains to golf carts as well. I'd also start with Seniors vs Crime. They go a great job on our behalf.

File a complaint with the better business bureau and start documenting everything that has happened.

I don't think that the law your talking about is a 20 mph speed limit. The law says that if a golf cart is capable of going over 20 mph on level ground in windless condition, then it is classified as an LSV (Low Speed Vehicle)

If the speed limit on a street is 25 and you're in your golf cart going 25 mph, going downhill with wind at your back, you are not breaking the law. Your golf cart is not necessarily categorized as an LSV under those circumstances.

As far as I know there is no law that prohibits a golf cart from going up to the speed limit as long as it is not capable of going over 20mph on level ground in windless conditions.

Consider calling the manufacturer directly and voicing your complaints with the product and the dealer. Golf carts are a major purchase and a consumer should expect them to be in good and working order without all the issues you are experiencing.

Some people bring out the best in us. You do, dbussone.

Where did you come up with the level ground and windless condition clause? I have read the statutes and nowhere do I see that.