[Fourpar]

Anyone know what happened yesterday morning down towards Colony Cottage? Wife went to Public's and saw cart against a tree and someone laying on ground, ems personnel, firetruck etc. Hope no serious injuries...

[graciegirl]

Oh no. I know just the tree. I hope everyone is o.k.

[dfn8tly]

According to today's newspaper two people were injured and taken to Leesburg Regional Hospital. Their golf cart ran into a tree. In cases like that the tree will always win. No names or conditions were released.

[Barefoot]

Accidents can happen so quickly ... the second your attention is focused somewhere other than driving. I sure wish that people wouldn't talk on cell phones when they're driving.

I hope that the people involved in this accident are OK and have been released from hospital.

[tucson]

There was another accident today at the intersection of Morse and the street that leads to Tierra Sol Country Club. I saw a man laying in the street and it looked like a really bad crash. I hope he is ok! Does anyone know about it?

[blueeagle65]

It is a wonder we don't have a fatal golf cart wreck every day the way some of the people drive. I've never seen the like of people driving with their heads up their ...... well, you get the idea. There is a segment of TV that obviously doesn't fall in with those of us governed by rules and laws. "I don't have to stop at STOP signs", "I don't have to use turn or hand signals". "I don't have to look both ways before crossing the street -or- stepping off the curb", "I am special and the world revolves around me". If these people weren't so stupid TV would be a much better place for all of us.

[tucson]

I think that accident today was bad ,I drove by right after it happened (the ambulance wasn't there yet) but the impact was so great that the batteries under the seat was completely visable and almost thrown out of the compartment that holds them. The passenger was also thrown out and lying on the street, I just hope he didn't have massive head wounds. I used to work in a rehab hospital head trauma unit and it was full of accident victims that were disabled for the rest of their lives,it was very sad! There needs to be a law for mandatory seat belts in golf carts.

[Cassie325]

I can only say that our prayers are with all of them. How very sad!

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by blueeagle65

It is a wonder we don't have a fatal golf cart wreck every day the way some of the people drive. I've never seen the like of people driving with their heads up their ...... well, you get the idea. There is a segment of TV that obviously doesn't fall in with those of us governed by rules and laws. "I don't have to stop at STOP signs", "I don't have to use turn or hand signals". "I don't have to look both ways before crossing the street -or- stepping off the curb", "I am special and the world revolves around me". If these people weren't so stupid TV would be a much better place for all of us.

Blueeagle, I share your frustration. I also think it is a wonder we don't have more fatal golf cart wrecks with the way people drive. However I don't think people drive badly because they're stupid (although they certainly do stupid things), or because they think they're special and the world resolves around them.

Sadly, I think it is something that happens to all of us as we age. We become less aware of what is going on around us. Some people have hearing or vision problems. Many people that wouldn't consider driving a car still get in their golf carts and become hazards for the rest of us. They just don't see stop signs, and they just don't even think about signalling.

I think it is just the way things are in The Villages. Those of us who are younger just have to watch out for bad drivers, assume the worst, and drive defensively. I've had many close calls with both cart and car, and it is very scary. My rule is .. when you see another driver .. assume they're going to do something incredibly stupid. In many cases you'll be right.

[Fourpar]

I totally agree, blueeagle65!

And I see in the paper this morning there was another one. This one involved 2 carts, and sent 3 folks to the hospital. One was heading south on Morse, the other turning onto Morse from side street. Both probably chatting away, paying no attention to traffic.

I believe many think that in a cart things are slower, and because of that they don't pay as close attention as they should. It only takes a split second to make the wrong (or no) decision...and the result can be catastrophic. Hopefully these people didn't have life-threatening injuries.

Pay attention out there folks!

[Peggy D]

Any word on the people involved in the cart accidents yesterday and today?

My prayers are with them.

[Aceskaters]

I am fairly new to The Villages but have had several close calls with drivers, both in cars and carts, who pull up to a stop sign, stop, and then start right up again...they do not turn their heads and look left or right. Maybe they are so old their necks don't turn any more, or maybe they think that because they stopped they are obeying the law. I suspect it's the former. Maybe we can make people aware that this is a problem, which probably comes with age, and perhaps we can add a new exercise to all our exercise classes here..."turn your head right, now, turn your head left"...

[Barefoot]

The Villages Daily Sun should be publishing these incidents on the FRONT page with warnings to people to drive defensively and slow down! If people were more aware of some of the disasters that are occuring around us, perhaps they would get off their cell phones and start paying attention.

I realize The Villages doesn't want newbies and wannabees to realize there could ever be problems in Paradise. But The Sun has thousands of daily readers. They need to publish a wake up call!!

[downeaster]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

The Villages Daily Sun should be publishing these incidents on the FRONT page with warnings to people to drive defensively and slow down! If people were more aware of some of the disasters that are occuring around us, perhaps they would get off their cell phones and start paying attention.

I realize The Villages doesn't want newbies and wannabees to realize there could ever be problems in Paradise. But The Sun has thousands of daily readers. They need to publish a wake up call!!

I would add, it would help if they published every incident involving a citation for a moving violation. I am not suggesting naming names but just incidents.

[Talk Host]

It is my sense that many people who operate their golf carts, and cars, in the villages do so with an "entitlement" mentality. That is to say that I believe many people zoom around here believing they have earned the right to do as they please, without regard to rules and regulations. Mixed in with them are a group of people who were lousy drivers all their life. (Watch for the guy with his mouth hanging open and his left knee sticking out into oncoming traffic) But the ones who scoff at the stop signs, speed limits and other traffic controls are simply disregarding their social responsibilities. We all know that there is a maximum speed of 20 MPH for carts, so under what rule of order would an individual go out and knowingly soup up his cart to go 30 or more miles per hour. Why in heavens name would grandma or grandpa allow their precious little angle grandchildren to drive a cart on a pulbic street. Stand at any intersection that has a stop sign and see if anybody, ANYBODY, stops with their golf cart or automobile. Sometimes when people retire, they leave their brain back at work."I payed my dues, I did my time, now I'm gonna do as I damned well please."

There is also a grand group of people who still hold sacred their social responsibilites and mix in well with the community.