Bad cart vs car accident
 

It looks like a pretty serious cart versus car accident at the corner of St. Charles and Pennecamp. Two people lying in the street with medics caring for them. I pray they'll be ok. Let's be real careful out there folks!

Med flight just airlifted patients.

I have only been a Villager for 2 years and it seems that people are way more aggressive with their driving this year over last year, both in their cars and driving golf carts. I just dont understand why everyone is in such a hurry in a retirement community.

Hoping that the people injured will be OK!

We were just finishing golf at Tarpon Boil when we heard all the sirens. We could not take a left to get home our usual route as Community Watch had St Charles blocked and was diverting traffic away from the accident.

Pulling out of Cane garden and taking a left yesterday took forever. I can see where where people wait for a spot for a while then gun it when their patience runs out. Your right What's the hurry?

I don't understand it either. What could possibly be that important that you have to endanger your life or the life of others?? So if your a little late for your golf time, so what if you are late for your exercise class, or swim class, or painting class.....is it really worth it? We don't heal as fast as we use to and don't bounce as easily as we use to.

My friend had a terrible getting to my home in Buttonwood. He knew there was an accident but wasn't sure what was involved. Thanks for the info. Hope the people are O.K.

That corner is very, very heavily traveled. I swear I have heard of many accidents there.

I really think they should put a light there or make it a 3-way stop.

Fatality was at Southern Star and St. Charles.

The corner of Pennecamp and St. Charles has not had many, many accidents. This is the first one I'm aware of and I drive St. Charles daily since I live in Buttonwood. I'll be looking in the Leesburg Daily Commercial and the Orlando Sentinel in the morning to hopefully read the details because I bet The Daily Sun has nothing!

I do too. That whole St. Charles loop is really risky. Golfers playing the Championship course have to cross over St. Charles twice and people get antsy and pull out because of so much traffic.

It has been pointed out the death was at the intersection of Southern Star and St. Charles and I was wrong. In a couple of days this news will appear in the Sun.

I was there soon after it happened. The way the vehicles were positioned, the cart was facing northbound with damage to the right front but was in the southbound lane of St. Charles at the intersection of Pennecamp. The car was in the southbound lane of St. Charles and had damage to the front end. If this is the way the vehicles actually collided, then it appears the cart was turning left into Pennecamp and when it crossed the opposite lane a southbound car hit them.

Cars are usually backed up coming out of Pennecamp and many cars are usually turning into Pennecamp. In fact, the half mile or so stretch of St. Charles at the intersection of Pennecamp, Buttonwood and Tamarind Grove are always busy and congested. It's not a good situation for someone with slow reflexes.

WOW... Get a load of this for Nerve !!
 

at the corner of St. Charles and Pennecamp

Two weeks ago, my wife and I spent a week in our Pennecamp home. We traveled this intersection many times in our cart. One fine day, we pulled into a line of cars and carts trying to get out from Pennecamp Drive and when it was our turn, we pulled up and waited as traffic was heavy in both directions. From behind I heard this screeching voice to "pull up". Not once but several times. I turned around to see two women in a cart trying to get me to pull forward "into the cart path" so they could make their right turn. Well in case you didn't know, I've got a temper and said, "Lady, NO WAY!!" When traffic was clear we began to make our left turn to cross St. Charles onto the cart path toward Bailey Trl, when this speedster came flying by making her right turn... I told my wife "WOW, what nerve." My wife said she was proud of me not going back there and decking the lady. She said she thought of doing it for me.... :22yikes: And my wife is not a violent person..

I dont think it has to do with being late or not, I think people are not driving defensively anymore.They are just whipping around whether in cars or in golf carts and not anticipating the other guy might not be paying attention. This could also translate to people who ride bikes.Everyone should take a motorcycle safety course because they preach defensive operation of the motorcycle. Dont only pay attention to what your doing but what the other guy might do.

Is this what happened? This is from the Sumter County incident page....MAJOR ACCIDENT
03/19/12 17:32 (THE VILLAGES - 800 TRS PS 2) SQUAD 51 ON SCENE MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT GOLF CART VS BICYCLE REQUEST AIR SUPPORT AEROMED 3 RESPONDING ENGINE COMPANY 40 LANDING ZONE [FLA074]

Good advice Penguin....

I had a golf cart (since 2004).
I drove it cautiously .. 'very cautiously.'
I had scary runins (almost) every time I took it out.
I sold it a month ago.

1732 is 5:32pm, this accident was about 3pm, also didn't see any bicycle and did see two people on stretchers laying in the road, and definitely saw a damaged car. Your accident is a bike and cart.

I respectfully disagree that a stop sign or traffic light should be installed at this intersection.

The Villages road system was designed so as to not have driveways or other things to imped the flow of traffic on these main roads. If a traffic light is approved for installation on Pennecamp/St Charles, why not at Buttonwood/St. Charles also. Then people living near Southern Star/St. Charles would want one there also. Then how about people living off Canal Street, or Odell, etc etc etc... Will these traffic lights be needed during the off season when the "snowbirds" head home?

The Villages would turn into a giant traffic mess.

These roads are accommodating many vehicles, from commercial trucks, to cars, golf carts, bicycles, joggers, etc. and work well as long as we all be a little curtious.

S L O W D O W N, drive defensively, be aware of the people around you sharing the road and anticipate a potential careless unintentional move by the many new residents both perminent and part time trying to figure their way around town.

I didn't check the time everyone was talking about the first accident, sorry, but now it seems we've had another cart involved accident....DAM!

Everyone needs to remember "you were a newbie once too." please extend some patience to those that are trying to learn the lay of the land. :lipsrsealed::lipsrsealed:

Your post really makes us think about this. A traffic light is not an easy solution it appears. Perhaps when the loop is built out and the construction traffic goes away, things will improve. I hope so.

I don't like that idea either, except it could be done on a lesser scale. If you notice on weekends when we don't have all the construction trucks it's so much nicer on St. Charles. Put lights at the corner of Pennecamp, Buttonwood and Tamarind Grove but after 5pm weekdays and on Saturday and Sunday they just flash amber on St. Charles and flash red on the side roads. Most of the congestion occurs during weekdays during working hours. Otherwise it's too late to build traffic circles since homes occupy the corners at these intersections. Other than that, there is really nothing else that can be done short of putting speed bumps on St. Charles prior to these intersections, which I wouldn't be for.

I hope everyone will pull through without lasting injuries. Frankly, the roundabouts scare the hell out of me. I moved here in January, and have yet to take the car anywhere other than 466A and Wildwood. No matter how much I watch the traffic patterns, or watch my husband navigate the circles, I can't get over my fear. I understand WHY there are roundabouts here, I've read the pamphlet we were given, but it hasn't helped. We have yet to buy a golf cart.

This not the accident reported in this thread. This cart vs. bicycle accident occurred on Buena Vista. We drove passed it, but I can't remember the cross street.

I hope the people who were injured in the accident are okay. If there is any news about how they are doing, someone please let us know.

Bicycle & Cart Accident
 

It happened a Sunday on the cart path that runs next to 466. I believe the
cart ran into the bicycle(s).

Traffic
 

We have a few conversations regarding the change in traffic between the summer months and the "snow bird" months. One possible reason for the
lack of courtesy during the snow bird time is that quite a few are renters
and have a sense of entitlement as they paid for a vacation and don't have
the same pride of The Villages as the full time residents. There is a definite
difference in the manners on the road between the summer and snow bird
time. Not sure if it is really a sense of entitlement or just a lack of knowledge of the circles, etc. This lack of manners extends to the golf carts
and is not restricted to cars. I guess the answer is for the full time residents to realize there is a difference and to take that into consideration when they drive either the car or the cart. :mornincoffee:

Unfortunately, the lack of courtesy is not limited to cars and carts. We had family in from Malabar this weekend. We were in Publix Saturday afternoon and I have never encountered so many downright rude people as there were in the store that day in all the 8 years we have been here. Even our daughter noticed and commented on it. She asked me if TV is this way all the time now.

I certainly hope not.:22yikes:

So sad to hear about this accident
 

Our home backs up to St. Charles and saw all the emergency vehicles flying past this afternoon, wondering what had happened. My husband and I constantly comment on the speed of several vehicles as they pass, mostly construction traffic, some cars and the trash trucks. Some are doing 50mph and over. We knew there was an accident waiting to happen. It's not a good mix, the gold carts and speeding cars and trucks. I will definitely say a prayer for those involved in the accident today and hope this maybe a lesson to those out there in a hurry. Life is to short...take your time and stop putting others at danger, please!

Smalldog Sez
when returning home from our golf at Redfish Run we noticed a state troper parked on the golf course with his radar 'taking pictures':pepper2: at the scene of the accident
where we had encountered it :lipsrsealed: on our way to the golf course

I don't think you need to worry about Newbies being treated with patience. Most residents are happy to help out anyone seeking directions.

However, even Newbies have a responsibility to drive defensively and to not endanger other cars and carts. If you're a Newbie driving a golf cart, and you don't know where the tunnels or paths are, pull over on the grass and watch other drivers. I've seen way too many golf cart drivers charge across Country Roads because they don't take the time to find the tunnels.

I think the Villages has the worst drivers (both carts and cars) and sometimes bicyclists, that I've ever encountered, and I've lived a lot of places.

Yesterday, I was driving my cart north on Buena Vista, stopped at Old Mill Run (another dangerous intersection - lots of traffic at certain times). a car headed w/b from Old Mill going right into the traffic circle stopped at the path crossing and motioned the women on bikes to go across. They did, talking to each other the whole time, and never even glancing right into the e/b lane, where a car was coming out of the traffic circle. That car had to brake. I don't think the women ever even noticed it.

One of the problems here is that car drivers don't seem to realize all the time where they have the right of way. Most are probably trying to be nice, but stopping where they shouldn't sets up the above scenarios. Many cart drivers also appear to think that because they are in a cart, they have the right of way, particularly when merging left into the traffic lane. Just because they signal or stick out their hand doesn't mean they can go ahead. THEY are the ones merging and need to yield the right of way - They need to be sure there is room to merge, and remember the cars are going faster than the carts.

I know some of these drivers are just trying to be nice, but lately there have been drivers in cars with heavily tinted windows motioning me to go ahead and cross. I can't see into their driver's side windows and can barely tell sometimes what they are trying to do. They don't seem to realize that they can see out but I can't see in. I wish everyone would just learn the rules of the road and follow them.

I so agree. My opinion is that new people need to familarize themselves with the area by reading the maps and driving in their cars for awhile until they are comfortable with how to get places. It is MUCH more confusing and thus more dangerous to drive your golf cart at first because it is NOT the same route at all and you have to note tunnels and sometimes go the opposite direction to get to a tunnel to get to the side of the street the path is on. If you are a timid or not extremely experienced driver, it is better to drive a car. I think a lot of people who haven't driven cars or not driven much think golf carts are easier. They are not.

I have seen golf carts going down Morse the wrong way, going into traffic circles and not watching gates and cars when crossing.

So Happinow, take your time. I know you have posted that you were nervous about driving to TV from the Orlando airport, so I am guessing that driving in unfamiliar areas is challenging.

This is why even more so to DRIVE DEFENSIVELY and watch out for the other driver and expect them to do something stupid. Believe me it will keep you safer,I know, I taught a motorcycle safety class for years and defensive driving saves lives. " Lets be careful out there"

I hope you did not bet too much. Page A12 of today's Daily Sun has a photo and brief story about the accident.

I didn't see it happen but must have happened just a minute before as there was no ambulance yet and the car behind the accident car stopped to help out. It happened to be my neighbor though I didn't know at that time. I saw the New Jersey plate of the accident car, mangled passenger side of the golf cart, shoes scattered about and a man lying down motionless on the road. A man from Ambassador cart was helping with what seemed like a wet towel. There were other people from the area helping so when the car ahead of me was able to pass through, I turned right on to Pennecamp. It was surreal. I pray for the man but I believe he has head injury as well as broken up bones. St. Charles and Pennecamp is definitely a dangerous intersection. I definitely feel some cars are going well passed speed limit on St. Charles. On many an occasion I was tailgated. Previously, it was contractors. Not anymore. If you tailgate me, remember, I will slow down further so please let sleeping dog lie. I get concerned going out from Pennecamp on to St. Charles on golf cart. Do you think some people think it's I-75 or 95?

I agree traffic problems increase during these months. I attribute it to several factors.

1. We have seasonal/temporary residents trying to cram as much into their time here as possible. Some bring their driving habits from where they live "up north". That, coupled with shorter days with fewer hours of comfortable temperatures, leads to rushing around. I observed an instance where a cart was waiting to turn left off Stillwater. A car behind them didn't want to wait a few seconds and pulled into the cart lane to pass on the right and cut off a cart that was already there. Jeez!

2. We have renters "on vacation" who are also trying to get as much for their money as possible and have no vested interest in TV other than as a destination. They are going where they want to go and don't get in their way. The other day I had a woman (on a cell phone) cross the double yellow line on Canal near Odell to pass my cart so she would be in front of me at the RED light. Unfortunately, for her, there was a car turning onto Canal creating a potential head-on collision.

3. Paradoxically, we have seasonal residents, visitors, etc., who are trying to fit in amicably. They are some of the ones who stop and let carts cross where they shouldn't, causing confusion and creating dangerous situations for car and cart alike. This feeds the perception among some cart drivers that they have the right of way at intersections or on roadways.

4. We have construction going on in several areas. In the past, TV built neighborhoods completely and then sold the houses. The last few years they have returned to the prior pattern of selling lots and then constructing the house. As a result, construction traffic is spread out over several neighborhoods and that traffic is now on more residential streets than previously. Construction vehicles largely don't pay as much attention to speed as residents do. Deadlines, dontcha know.

The best advice has already been posted above. Drive defensively. Assume the other guy/gal is an idiot and be prepared for them to do something unusual. Lately I've noticed golf carts with lights on in the daytime similar to daytime running lights on cars. That seems like it may be a good idea during the "high" season at least. May reduce the range on electric carts by a little, but shouldn't be significant.