Another accident on Morse
 

"The driver of a golf cart suffered broken ribs after falling out of his golf cart when he was cut off by a vehicle at about 1 p.m. Monday on Morse Boulevard."

And at 10am Monday we witnessed the cart in front being cut up by a landscaper turning right into Carrera, seemingly forgetting that he was towing a trailer.

As a motorcyclist, I was taught to ride like you're invisible. I see a lot of golf cart drivers drive like they are invincible. How hard is it to drive a golf cart as if a car/truck is going to turn right at every intersection? That's what happens at intersections. Be ready for it. If you are approaching an intersection with a car on your left, SLOOOOOW down so that the car can turn right without running into you.

It is NOT the road's fault. The fault belongs to the DRIVERS!

If the golf cart driver is paying attention to the fact that he is a lot smaller than a car or truck, he takes every precaution not to be directly to the right of a car at an intersection where the car driver might turn right without looking to see if a cart is next to him. DEFENSIVE driving!

I drive my cart on Morse frequently. No problems. Just realize you are smaller than the cars, realize there are lots of snowbirds here who do not know how to cope with golf carts, and realize the golf carts offer about as much protection against a car as a motorcycle and you will do fine.

So golf cart driver has to make a sudden evasive maneuver to avoid being hit by a driver who cuts him off and leaves the scene and it's his own fault?
Wow. :ohdear: :shrug:

I don't think anyone is blaming the golf cart driver. The point being made is as a cart driver you HAVE TO drive defensively. The cart driver is always going to lose against a car. In this case the car driver did not stop. I am sure they knew what they did and fled the accident.

On a positive note, I passed this accident before the ambulance arrived. Several people stopped to provide aid to the cart driver.

One could conclude that as one ages the notion or concept of yielding dissipates.

Classic example. When putting on a turn signal to merge into a lane the usual response is the other driver either speeds up to close the gap; or honks the horn after you move over; and sometimes one will get the one finger intelligence marker.

This is so true, and you can usually spot the drivers that will do this by the way they are driving. My solution for these bozos is easy---I signal as I move over (with a safety margin, of course). I may get the same horn or finger, but unless the other guy reads minds, he doesn't have the opportunity to speed up and block me out. This is particularly true when you take the left lane of a RB going around 270, but want to merge right for the bypass lane. (For example from LSL west to south on Buena Vista, need to get over for Stillwater bypass, or Stillwater east to Morse north to get to LSL bypass). Also true on interstates when it is obvious that you will be changing lanes due to a slow moving truck---these bozos speed up to 90 to block you out, then slow down enough to ride side by side and not pass for a while (very annoying when cruise control is engaged)

I appreciate your point, Outlaw, but at this time of the year, driving along Morse, it would be next to impossible. There is a virtually continuous stream of traffic, so slowing to a crawl at every one of the large number of junctions, then checking that no-one close looks as though they might be turning (including those not indicating) would be impracticable.

Impracticable? I see it as more of an absolute necessity.

Cart drivers especially have to practice Defensive Driving. Too many car drivers make that right hand turn without checking to see if there is a cart next to them. The cart gets hit or run off the road even though he is not doing anything wrong - except not paying attention to a possible issue!

Also, there are the golf cart drivers making a Left turn from the Golf Cart Lane across the lanes of car traffic! Merge carefully into the car lane - using signals - and turn left from the car lane.

I am always afraid when I drive along Morse north of 466. That roadway was not built for the amount of traffic that uses it now.

It's sad that the golf cart traffic cannot be moved off the main road. And there is NO sidewalk at all....I guess no one is expected to walk in that area.

I say "impracticable" because, with a continuous stream of traffic, at what point would you decide that the car alongside you, or slightly behind you, wasn't going to turn right? You could be stopped at every junction until there was a gap in the traffic long enough for you to sprint across.

I am all for defensive driving, but let's be realistic about this.

The golf cart had the right of way. Check the signs along the road. Vehicles turning right must yield to carts, bikes, etc. in the cart lane !!!

Cars have the right of way not the carts. Most cart drivers believe they have the right of way. I am always looking out for carts and will yield to them but the carts should be yielding to the Cars!

Sorry to disagree, but.....
The vehicle in a lane, in this case the cart lane to the right of cars, has a right to that lane until such time as he has passed you, or you have passed him far enough to safely cross that lane. The same is true of a bicycle in that lane. There is no "pecking order"---trucks trump cars, cars trump carts, carts trump bicycles, etc.

The signage is very clear-the golf cart/bicycles & pedestrians have right of way

I avoid that MB Gauntlet during the winter months. A long with Rio Grande and Delmar. IMO the three most dangerous streets in the villages.

Another accident on Morse
 

What CB and GE said.

That is certainly true at the Morse/San Marino junction.

The other dangerous area is the "merge" going south in order to cross Morse before 466. I believe that cars have the right of way there, which is sensible, but why they insist on going so fast (and refusing to let carts merge) when they have to virtually stop for the gates just ahead? Maybe the speed limit on the 200 yards approaching the gates needs to be dropped, although that tends to cause traffic to bunch making it even harder for carts to merge.

Wasn't there a petition last year about all of this? Did anything happen?

When you merge from cart lane to roadway when designated to do so, you can signal all you want, check your mirrors 10 time and leave all the space you can, but if those landscape trucks want to pass you and beat the light, they are going to do it regardless. It is worse when they pull a trailer whose wheel bas his wider than the truck. The truck misses you but the trailer wheel well gets you. Please be alert.

Who ever developed the traffic pattern,with carts and cars on the same road, was trying to save big bucks by not putting a cart path in. He has put a lot of people in jeopardy. In an area with so many carts this is incomprehensible.

Another accident on Morse
 

It really doesn't completely matter what the rules are. Drive defensively, and if in a cart or on a bike, be extra careful. The outcome of a collision always favors the heavier vehicle. You may not be able to argue right vs wrong after the deed is done.

And please note per: http://www.districtgov.org/community...rtBrochure.pdf

"Golf carts should yield to vehicular traffic IN ALL CASES."

Don't agree.

Transportation in TV is as safe as anywhere. And I think statistics support that.

Maybe I'm missing something here but the message I'm reading from all these posts are is the car that turned in front of the cart onto San Marino was in the right to do so therefore the cart lane would not be considered a traffic lane? If you were on a four lane road you wouldn't make a right turn from the left hand lane. As much as possible I try to avoid Morse for all travel by cart.

Assuming you are able to drive a car, why do you ever choose to drive a cart along Morse Road?

Death wish

Hey golfing eagles: Here we go again. We just had this discussion on another thread. All vehicles cars, carts bikes are subject to the rules of the road. May I say sotto voce that I believe some car drivers actually believe carts and bike riders are second class citizens( a nuisance) and hence subordinated to their whims.

I travel Morse/Rio Grande often going to MVP and I always check on my right for the location of golf carts if they are close by I slow to let them pass to the right turning lane on Rio Grande, etc

Again with a road like Morse I treat it as a four lane highway with the two diamond lanes being right hand lanes and proceed to follow the rules of the road. Too often car drivers have this urge not to let a cart get in front of them and make a fast move which can lead to a tragedy. This cutting off is notable where carts merge at gates.

A guy, and a real gentleman, I know was seriously injured when a car made a right turn into his cart at the intersection of Morse and San Marino. The point of impact made clear that the driver of the car was negligent and that the car driver apparently never even looked.

In my humble view people here just have to adjust to the fact that golf carts are vehicles, golf cart drivers are equals and the rules of the road apply. If they do so their eye sight just might improve.

Personal Best Regards

Couldn't agree more. But one caveat: If you're the cart, bicycle, or pedestrian, try not to be DEAD right on this issue, you will be the victim of proving you had the right of way

Golfing eagles: but of course. I'm a seasoned insurance guy and my profession made me quite aware of what constitutes a perfect storm
( accident), not that I consider myself invincible.

One factor that can't be dismissed in this topic is our demographic. An often repeated comment about the reason why people move to The Villages is, because, if they can no longer get a driver license they will at least be able to drive their carts

It hasn't occurred to them that its likely that the cause of the loss of a driver license will also be the reason they shouldn't be driving a golf cart
Indeed it is the primary reason why I believe seat belts are a good thing. I can't tell you the number of people I see in golf carts that appear as if a going over a speed bump would be enough to throw them from the cart

All of this discussion is why I carry insurance on my golf cart

I miss Doug's fish fry:mmmm:

The road signs at the corner of Morse and San Marino clearly show that the golf cart has the right of way. Why??? Don't know but would entertain the possibility of changing this so that the auto driver has the right of way. Golf cart drivers--please--no nasty comments. Thanks

Me too!!!! They even had lobster on occasion:mmmm:

I agree with you in principle and I always double check before turning right. However there is a very large blind spot with carts on your right. It would be wise for the cart to pay close attention to cars and rather than just motoring on down the road. Amazingly there are very few accidents here in the Villages considering all the cars and carts and bicycles. And that's a good thing!

Everybody should be double checking and aware of their surroundings. That's just common sense. But a blind spot is a reality of driving, it is not really an excuse. Remember a cart is a lot larger than a 3 year old kid, and no one wants to tell the grieving parents "He was in my bind spot".

The right-of-way for the inside vehicle here is no different to what it would be anywhere else.

If, on a normal road, you are in a car and pass a cyclist, you would not expect to just turn right across his path. You would either ensure that you were far enough ahead to not affect his progress or you would slow down and wait until he had passed you.

This is meant to be a golf-cart friendly community; not one just designed for car-drivers to get where they want to go as fast and as unimpeded as possible.

Your point is well taken.

I bet seat belts would have prevented the broken ribs.

I'm also thinking a rollcage & seat belts might be worth the investment.

I'm not pro regulation BUT
In my view the golf carts should have some form of ID-plates?
The LAW is that to drive a cart without plates means it is speed restricted to 20 mph.
I am often passed by carts doing at least 25-30. THEY ARE ACTUALLY DESIGNED TO DO 15 MPH. You only have brakes on the rear wheels.
There are some interesting drivers here. Turn signals are to signal you intend to make a turn-USE THEM. Follow the LAW. Stopping in the middle of the road to BS is common but is STUPID-you can cause an accident-PULL OFF THE ROAD.

So if everyone had an ID tag on their cart, all laws would be obeyed and there would be no accidents?

When I'm driving my car, I always yield to a Semi Truck or a Bus. A golf cart driver should yield to a car for common sense reason--anything else doesn't make common sense to me .