Were drivers this bad last year?
 

In just two days I've seen:

• - A cart pulling directly into my path in a parking lot - at least I know my brakes work well
• - A car nearly getting hit as it entered a roundabout without yielding to the traffic already there
• - A car blocking both the crosswalk and the intersection to let grandma and the grandkids out
• - A driver holding up a line of traffic when he didn't notice the red change to green - apparently driving wasn't his top priority
• - A cart driving about 10mph down the cart path until my wife pulled out to pass, then it was able to speed up to 20mph to try and prevent the pass (and yes, it slowed back down after being passed)
• - A Sumter County Sheriff's deputy pass me heading into a roundabout and pull away through and beyond the roundabout - I need to get my spedometer calibrated since mine was reading 60 as I was trying to keep up with him (and no, no lights or siren and he stopped at the next red light)

If this is any indication, it is going to be a long three months.

The best is yet to come.

Well, its early yet. Darwin will probably have some effect as time goes on.

But--yeah. Strange things be happening. Earlier today I saw a blue four-passenger golf cart on the path by El Diablo going toward Botello. I was coming out of Botello waiting for the green arrow so I could get the Rav4 onto El Camino. The woman stopped at the cart path stop sign. The arrow turned green and I proceeded into the intersection...just as the woman abruptly turned her cart onto Botello into the LEFTHAND lane! Far too close for comfort. The woman was greeted with a cacophony of horns. I doubt she had any idea she COULDN'T do that.

And no--no license plate or slow-moving vehicle sign on the cart.

I’m still new to The Villages, but so far I have yet to see anyone pulled over by the police for speed or any other traffic violation.

The birds are back.

Just today we saw the cart in front of us go through the stop sign at the entrance to Richmond and force a dump truck entering the village from Meggison to slam on its brakes. Luckily the truck was empty because if it was full, the golf cart was road kill. Then, when the truck was screeching to a halt, the fool stops his cart dead in the crossing. If there are no gates up yet in a village, you have to be extra vigilant.

I saw a nice one today, on Bailey Trail, between Miona Rec Center and Cane Garden...one of those streets that heads off towards Heron and Pelican executive courses. I am not sure exactly which one.

I was in my cart running from Miona towards Cane, and a car had pulled off, parallel to Bailey trail, but into one of those streets, blocking both lanes of traffic for that street at the intersection. Essentially, the car was exactly where a crosswalk would be if there was a crosswalk. The driver was checking his phone.

Now, you have rec centers, country clubs, and within a block or two is the Sunset Point Mail and Pool, but no, this guy had to pull off right there, parallel to Bailey, blocking both lanes of traffic on the side street, to check his phone.

and you probably wont, least on most roads within TV.
cant tarnish the utopian image and all that, people may stare. :shocked:

Depending on where you get the data, FL was ranked #10th worst overall for quality of drivers.
Tied with CO.
I guess we are at least not #1 (Mississippi)

States With the Most Irresponsible Drivers - 2022 Edition - SmartAsset

Come down south. The Wildwood police are on Morse and Meggison regularly handing out tickets. They had a guy in cuffs the other day, so it was more than speeding for that one im guessing.
Reportedly, they stopped a woman doing 34 in a 30 and gave her a ticket.

The "visitors" who don't know where they're going, but pull up to the resident side with no card, then get out of the car to holler at the gate person to ask directions.

Were drivers this bad last year? Probably.
Are the complaints about the same as last year? Absolutely, but maybe starting a few days earlier.

However, all of us Perfectly Perfect Villagers just smile down upon the mere mortals among us and accept their spurious transgressions as a fact of life for which we must be ever alert, watchful, and careful of our wellbeing and possessions.

In my opinion, such acceptance of the facts will make your retirement days much happier.

Today's adventure, in my car.

Got cut off by a guy riding an e-bike, coming in from the Boone Gate to take a left onto Paradise. He was coming from the direction of the rec center, didn't stop or even slow down. He saw me coming, and decided to take the risk. If he was pedaling without an e-bike I'd probably give him a pass for it. No excuse if you don't have to pedal your way uphill from the stop sign though.

Then, coming from the Santa Barbara medical plaza, took a left onto El Camino Real to the traffic circle. No one coming in from the left, and a golf cart was stopped on the outer golf cart path circle. So I went. And that was when the golf cart driver decided he'd go too. And cut me off.

Then going from Morse to Sumter, some idiot decided that 25mph in a 35mph zone in the left lane was good enough for him. So I figured okay - I'll just go around him on the right. That was when he realized he should probably get in the right lane. And turn signals are for other people, of course! So he cut me off.

On the way home from my adventure around 4:30, I was coming down Odell toward Morse, and a guy in a golf cart felt that he shouldn't have to drive 20mph or less because that rule is for other people. He decided to pass two golf carts that were going around 19mph in the golf cart lane, by shifting fast, directly in front of me. I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting him. He didn't even look.

That was just today.

In other words, a pretty slow day in TV:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Bad driving
 

So this is all us 'birds is it? Rubbish - most of the bad driving I see, especially not using turn signals, is cars with Florida licence plates.

KENOC.....2 of my neighbors are snowbirds and both have Florida plates on their cars. FYI