Stay in your lane, please!
 

The double yellow lines in the roadways are there for a reason. They define the space you have to keep your vehicle in the road.

I have seen, time and time again, folks crossing over the double yellow lines to give themselves more clearance from a golf cart which is well within their space in the golf cart lane. The roadway I travel most often within The Villages which has the double yellow lines is Odell Circle.

It surely isn't "snowbirds" who are guilty of this at this time of year. It is the full time residents who seem to have a big problem keeping in their space in the roadway. Is it a problem with spacial orientation? Is it a problem with depth perception? What exactly is the reason a driver seems to feel they must try to avoid a golf cart which is perfectly in their golf cart lane by crossing over the double yellow lines?

Do you recognize yourself or do you do this and not even realize you are doing this? One of these days, a car will enter the roadway in the opposite direction from a side street and a head on collision will occur. There is no reason to cross over the double yellow lines. There is plenty of room for four vehicles in these roads........one car and one golf cart in one direction and one car and one golf cart in the opposite direction. All four vehicles can be along side each other in the road and there is plenty of room for all four vehicles. I would, however, yield to a large service vehicle such as a fire truck. In that case, maybe four vehicles would not fit all in one line across the road.

Bottom line......please refrain from crossing the double yellow lines when driving alongside a golf cart which is well withing the golf cart lane. You will fit......I promise.

Good luck!

:popcorn:

Good read. It's probably the same people that cross over into the diamond lane as they slow down TO TURN LEFT.

Stay out of the diamond lanes.

Also stay in your lane when you are going straight through the roundabouts on major roads. Just today as we were entering a roundabout in the right lane to go straight through on Morse at the Morse-Pinellas roundabout, an auto in the left lane, also going straight through, passed us upon entering the roundabout at a speed higher than 20 mph. As the car in the left lane exited the roundabout continuing on Morse, its passenger tires (right side of the car) crossed the center line and then recovered back into its left lane. Had we been closer to that car instead of dropping back a little, we could have been hit.

Likewise at the next roundabout--Morse and Hillsborough--an auto in the right lane on Morse entered the roundabout obviously driving faster than 20 mph, entered in the right lane, straddled the center line part way through, and then returned to its right lane as it continued on south or Morse.

Slow down and stay in your lane. I would like to see more traffic law enforcement on Morse and Buena Vista. Maybe with all the new law enforcement people hired due to Villages growth will be able to keep people from driving 45 to 55 mph on these roads--speed limit is 35.

No, I am going to continue crossing the double yellow line a little when passing a golf cart. I don't like driving real close to the golf carts.

Yes, I always stay in my lane when going thru a roundabout.

But you are a fool if you expect others to do the same thing.

I never know what other drivers are going to do, but since I drive slow, I have always been able to adapt to their actions.

And I don't like it when the golf cart crosses over into the car lane. It happens quite often.

Does your car have a horn?

yellow lines
 

I hope you don't have a head on collision
but if a cop sees you I don't think you will like the
ticket you will get, which I saw happen to someone
doing what you say you will continue to do.

Because golf cart drivers continually move and sometimes suddenly swerve to the left because THEY think (and may very well be) too close to the curb so sometimes the only option is to move slightly left. It's a two way street (pun intended).

Then there was the L.O.L. from Pasadena in the cute pink G.C. this morning with 2 dogs (little one on her lap big one next to her) who thinks when she reaches the point where the diamond lane merges into the CAR lane she can just stick out her left arm and cut right in front of a car that was about a car length behind her. That happened today at O'Dell by Mallory. The person in the car ended up swerving into the opposite lane just before the gate. I wish I had my phone's camera running which I often do because my wife and I was behind her in our cart and she was pointing out the "lap dog" and big dog which I couldn't see until we made the turn at the Mallory MMP.

And that dress and them shoes!

Florida Statute 316.0875 says that motorists may cross the double yellow line when “an obstruction exists making it necessary”. The problem for motorists and is that this statute does not define the term, “obstruction”.

Florida law also has a 3 foot clearance rule, which means there must be at least 3 feet clearance between the passing vehicle and the vehicle being passed. In Florida the 3 feet rule specifically names bicycles as the vehicle being passed. However Florida law does state that an overtaking vehicle must maintain a "safe" separation while passing (paraphrased) leaving the interpretation of the term "safe distance" up for interpretation in the 316.0875 statue above.

Combining all of that, and the typical vagueness in laws (and rules) it is not unreasonable (to some) that a slow moving vehicle (golf cart, farm tractor, horse drawn carriage, etc.) could be considered an obstruction, and in order to pass at a "safe" separation, it would then be legal to cross the double solid line, assume all other safety regulations are observed - ie. the lane is clear of oncoming traffic, obstruction of view from curves, hills, etc.

The complication in this case would be that there is (I assume) a separate vehicle lane specifically for golf carts, and it is not unreasonable to assume the "powers that be" designed the lane the cart is in so that it provides a "safe" separation from the lane the car is in so it would most likely be a violation in that case. However, if the overtaking driver is following all passing and lane change safety regulations and not driving in any other unsafe manner, it would be highly unlikely an officer would issue a citation in this case.

Also, it is up to the driver of the over taking vehicle to take in to account erratic activity of the vehicle being passed to determine if extraordinary action is required to safely pass. For example if the driver of the golf cart is weaving and or occasionally swerving into the automobile lane. In this situation the case could easily be made that the driver in the over taking vehicle was taking necessary actions in order to avoid an accident caused by the driver of the golf cart.

Does everyone indicate they are going to change lanes with either hand or turn signals - it is a citable violation to change lanes ever without doing so, except in case of emergency. Are we also complaining about all the drivers that switch back and forth between lanes illegally - it is a violation to do so? I am sure everyone never exceeds the posted speed limit while passing/overtaking a vehicle moving in the same direction - its is a violation to do so. Do you know that it is not illegal to enter an intersection if light has turned yellow, as long as you can exit safely before it turns red. The list is quite extensive.

Well, I guess, you know, rules are rules and must be followed without exception - well, except for the exceptions I make.

Remember our community is made up of mostly senior citizens, eye problems are prevalent, and if they retired from big cities with public transportation--TV may be they're only real driving experience--tough to learn how to drive @ 65+, also, lots of seniors are driving cars that no longer fit them--those old sway back Buicks, Cadillacs, and Town Cars with vinyl roofs are really too wide and too big for an 80 year old to handle-- its a kick to see them sway and lean around the circles drifting out of their lanes--very predictable, give them a wide birth and enjoy the show as they try and correct safely

It’s a bit alarming to be driving and see an oncoming car cross the double yellow coming at you. You don’t know if they’re drunk, having a medical event, or not paying attention. I understand the concern passing a cart because there are cart operators who seem to be so involved in their conversations they stop paying attention to the fact they are on a roadway.

To those cart drivers, I will not risk a head on collision with the car in the other lane because you can’t or don’t control your cart. I will stay in my lane. Here’s a tip. I’ve discovered when driving my cart that if it feels like the center of the diamond lane is passing right under my drivers seat, that my cart is actually centered in the lane. Well away from the line to my left and well away from the curb to my right. But most importantly, pay attention to the fact you’re sharing the road with much heavier vehicles that can do you great harm.