:ohdear:Illinois doesn't require helmets for motorcycles either----there might be other States. I know it was a big isssue in Illinois a few years ago----first you had to wear helmets then "they" got it changed. Seat belts required in my golf cart----wear one if you want but they should not be mandatory. Next up: License plate for your golf cart ($100.00 a year) so we can find all the criminals riding around TV and put more sheriff deputies on patrol. "You have to be reasonable to reason." JustJim

And so did I. Long enough to know that there isn't an insurance company on the face of this earth that would advocate against the use of seat belts.

If you guys will read the POA article and then do a search on TOTV and other web sites for 'deaths from golf carts in The Villages' you might change your mind. The fact is that the last 10 deaths of people in carts within TV have been from some sort of head injury. Either getting thrown from the cart and hit their head, or get run over by landscape truck or car, or hit their head on any other object. The video that Sumter county shows is not relevant to what happens around our town. Not one accident in the past 7 years that killed anyone was from a roll over where the cart crushed them. Not one. There have been some bad injuries from roll overs but no deaths in that time frame. I have seat belts in my cart and I use them unless I'm on the course.

I also think it's about time we challenged the conventional wisdom (thanks for starting this thread Ed) since we have real data on our side from these tragic deaths.

Your opinion is very valued to me Russ, I think that you have good judgement and good evaluating skills, especially since you are now working in the hospital here.

Where did you get your golf cart seat belts installed and about how much do they cost?

Ah Russ, another breath of fresh air. Thanks for your factual input as always.

Gracie, the usual available retro fit retractable belt set is around $75-100 plus installation which is pretty straight forward. Just be sure to have one of the local cart shops (perhaps one that advertises on TOTV) install them. And be sure to get the retractable type so as Russ pointed out, you can leave them retracted away while on the course.

That is copyrighted by Gracie.............do you have permission to use it??

Boy Howdy. Some of us didn't get our nap.:boxing2:

:agree: I saw this at Lake Sumter Landing when I was in TV last month. Baby --about 6 months old -- sitting in "Grandma's" lap when they were in a golf cart driving around LSL right by the square. I'm not a mom or a grandma, but that did not look safe to me. Just my 2 cents.

Au contraire I did not say that, and the cases I cited were factual accident cases you labeled fictional. As you recall my initial post only question why someone not living in The Villages would take license to speak for said residents.

To say that x number of people died because... requires quite a bit of research....relative to what ? Injuries are categorize by type location ,etc over many years before any meaningful information can be gleaned by insurance companies and then they are not completely relied upon.

Finally I am not arguing for or against seat belts only attempting to expand on the complexities involving with this issue.

I vote no...to many laws telling me what I can and can't do.....

There should be a regulation for children to be buckled in because of the real risk of ejection from the cart.

I've seen too many small children unprotected in carts while their oblivious "caretakers" are speeding around. If the driver has to apply the brakes quickly for any reason there's a good chance the child could get hurt.

The word of the day on this subject is "inertia".

Interesting thread, but it seems to point to the need for the use of helmets more then seat belts ( I can hear the screams now). Anyhow, we are talking about golf carts, not LSV's, those should have belts installed. Perhaps the Sheriff's department would do better spending its resources finding all of the golf carts that are modified to do more then 19 mph (more screams).
I'm running for Night Mayor

This is a poster that we should all respect. He speaks from a resident's point of view, but also from a medical perspective. I'm getting seat belts. :ho:

Why do you think that. Do you really believe that the additional 5 mph allowed for LSVs justifies the need for seatbelts. No, as stated in the POA article it is because the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration realized that these vehicles would be primarily operated on streets along with cars, trucks and trailers. Which is exactly what the 40,000 golf carts in TV are being used for every day.