[paulandjean]

Originally Posted by eremite06

Crime doesn't pay.

Thats some big time crime. Is the SWAT team on stand-by.

[raynan]

Originally Posted by johmer1

I was driving down bailey trail going towards the gate when a traffic police officer came out of hiding and pulled me over for driving my electric cart over the allowed 20 miles an hour. Since golf carts by state law cannot exceed 20 miles an hour and when it does it is no longer a golf cart but a motor vehicle. Has anyone out there in Sumter County have or had the same issue? I need to know what happened when you had to appear in court. How much was the fine and did you have to replace your motor for a slower one? Call me at 352 750-9514 or respond to this thread with advise for me before May 1. That is the date I have to go to court in Bushnell.

If it goes over 20mph, a governor should slow you down, say at 20.5 on a downhill. You should have a speedometer installed or have a governor installed or speed adjusted by the place where you bought it. It should not have been sold going faster than 20. Most people caught speeding have rigged it to go faster and they take their chances. If it is not a street legal vehicle 20mph is the law. What's right is right, and what's wrong is wrong.

[BettyCrocked]

Originally Posted by paulandjean

Thats some big time crime. Is the SWAT team on stand-by.

I lol'ed.
I'm still wondering what crime he committed. How dare he purchase a car and drive it to the dmv to get it registered!!!

[Tom Grooms]

It's a BS deal but I did in fact drive an "unregistered motor vehicle" 1.6 miles to the DOR. I guess I should have had it delivered to the parking lot. :-(

Leaves a bad taste in my mouth for Sumter County's Sheriff Department

[Golfingnut]

Originally Posted by BettyCrocked

I lol'ed.
I'm still wondering what crime he committed. How dare he purchase a car and drive it to the dmv to get it registered!!!

The point is, why did he have over 10,000 miles added the odometer between purchase date last year and the day of the ticket. I am just saying, find the facts and stop over reacting.

[l2ridehd]

Boy, this is a dangerous thread. But will give my opinion anyway. First I will get speedometers on my carts. Got them on a couple of them and they go about 18 uphill and 24 downhill. And will vary a bit depending on how many in cart, where, etc. However I do agree with Russ. Carts today are safer and if you add seat belts and 4 wheel brakes it is probably OK to up the speed limit to 25 mph. 30 might be dangerous, but am OK with 25.

As for the cops ticketing carts, they have many other problems they should focus on first. I see a dozen cars a day breaking the law in the roundabouts and that is far more dangerous then going 23 mph in a golf cart. So because they chose a less significant issue which generates more revenue then IMHO they are not doing a very good job. They should focus on roundabouts and get those fixed, then go after carts if they want. Every day I see someone go 270 degrees around in the outside lane. Fix that problem first.

[rubicon]

The citations issued to (non) street legal carts exceeding 20mph is not for speeding but for driving an unregistered vehicle.

Cart that go 20mph can be passed by many cyclist as some of these racers can exceed 20 mph.

The action by the police as much as we dislike it is justified and to suggest that issuing a citation for going 2-3 miles over the speed limit is disingenious. The reason for the ticket is that of safety. Street legal pay to drive on streets posted no higher than 35mph and normally do not travel the cart paths. However one can see wherein traveling in excess of 20mph with some golf carts capable of up to 30mph is dangerous to everyone on the cart paths.

What is most surprising to me is that insurance companies are not asking more underwriting questions concernng golf carts. i say this because if you own a golf cart that exceeds 20mph then you should be paying higher insurance rates. As you may recall this was the impteus of Marlene O'Toole's bill to allow those who purchased LSV's to gain the $7,500 energy credit to de-certify the LSV down to that of a golf cart in order to reduce said higher insurance premiums. This bill has likely drawn attention to this issue and if insurance carriers begin to reduce carts becuase carts have reduced their speed then the alternative is likely.

My golf cart does not exceed 20mph and i do choose to insure my cart for full coverage

[BettyCrocked]

Originally Posted by Golfingnut

The point is, why did he have over 10,000 miles added the odometer between purchase date last year and the day of the ticket. I am just saying, find the facts and stop over reacting.

So you're saying that he is lying? Where did you find these "facts" since he already stated he drove 1.6 miles and took the car the same day he bought it?
I merely laughed at a joke about the swat team, but I guess that is overreacting.

[NJblue]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

Boy, this is a dangerous thread. But will give my opinion anyway. First I will get speedometers on my carts. Got them on a couple of them and they go about 18 uphill and 24 downhill. And will vary a bit depending on how many in cart, where, etc. However I do agree with Russ. Carts today are safer and if you add seat belts and 4 wheel brakes it is probably OK to up the speed limit to 25 mph. 30 might be dangerous, but am OK with 25.

As for the cops ticketing carts, they have many other problems they should focus on first. I see a dozen cars a day breaking the law in the roundabouts and that is far more dangerous then going 23 mph in a golf cart. So because they chose a less significant issue which generates more revenue then IMHO they are not doing a very good job. They should focus on roundabouts and get those fixed, then go after carts if they want. Every day I see someone go 270 degrees around in the outside lane. Fix that problem first.

It's nice to see a voice of reason. Laws need to be enforced in order of priority. For those who take the "Book'em Danno" view for any violation of any law, I wonder how many are guilty of walking across the street from one of the shops/restaurants to get to the squares without first walking to the crosswalk to make it legal. At least we know of at least one occasion where such "gross violation" of the law resulted in an accident. I am not aware of a golf cart going one mile over the limit being the direct cause of an accident.

I personally think that what motivates most of the outrage for golf carts going over the 20 mph limit is that they take being passed by another golf cart as a personal affront - as if the passing vehicle were flipping them the bird as they went by. If we were to take the mindset of being passed by a golf cart as being no more a slight as being passed by a car on the highway, we will be a lot happier of a community.

[Golfingnut]

Originally Posted by BettyCrocked

So you're saying that he is lying? Where did you find these "facts" since he already stated he drove 1.6 miles and took the car the same day he bought it?
I merely laughed at a joke about the swat team, but I guess that is overreacting.

Would it make you feel better if I said yes. Sorry, can't do that for you.

[Golfingnut]

Originally Posted by NJblue;662***

It's nice to see a voice of reason. Laws need to be enforced in order of priority. For those who take the "Book'em Danno" view for any violation of any law, I wonder how many are guilty of walking across the street from one of the shops/restaurants to get to the squares without first walking to the crosswalk to make it legal. At least we know of at least one occasion where such "gross violation" of the law resulted in an accident. I am not aware of a golf cart going one mile over the limit being the direct cause of an accident.

I personally think that what motivates most of the outrage for golf carts going over the 20 mph limit is that they take being passed by another golf cart as a personal affront - as if the passing vehicle were flipping them the bird as they went by. If we were to take the mindset of being passed by a golf cart as being no more a slight as being passed by a car on the highway, we will be a lot happier of a community.

Unfortunately, most folks come down here and think their version of law and order is the only way to look at it. I must say, the law is the law, like it or work to get it changed.

[BogeyBoy]

Originally Posted by Tom Grooms

It's a BS deal Don, the cop told me I should have towed it down on a flatbed for VIN verification. Hahahah. You cant even get a temporary tag without VIN / odometer verification. I bought the car, had it insured and drove it immediately down to the DOR for registration. After she wrote me the ticket, I went in and paid over $1700 in taxes and fees and got my plate.

I pled not guilty in court and demanded a bench trial. The judge ordered me to speak with the prosecutor and he convinced me that even If I won the case I would still be on the hook for court costs. He spoke to the judge and I agreed to enter a plea of guilty if the judge would wave the fine. Still cost me $256.

It's an all out money grab

Just for general information - you can request that a local police officer come to your location and sign a form that he has verified the VIN and the odometer reading. I did it that way when I bought a motorhome.

Here is a link to the form (from Osceola County but it is a state form): On edit - make sure you supply the form and have it filled out before the police officer gets there.

http://www.osceolataxcollector.com/forms/82042.pdf

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by BogeyBoy

Just for general information - you can request that a local police officer come to your location and sign a form that he has verified the VIN and the odometer reading. I did it that way when I bought a motorhome.

Here is a link to the form (from Osceola County but it is a state form): On edit - make sure you supply the form and have it filled out before the police officer gets there.

http://www.osceolataxcollector.com/forms/82042.pdf

Thank you for that good information, BogeyBoy.

[BobnBev]

Originally Posted by Tom Grooms

It's a BS deal Don, the cop told me I should have towed it down on a flatbed for VIN verification. Hahahah. You cant even get a temporary tag without VIN / odometer verification. I bought the car, had it insured and drove it immediately down to the DOR for registration. After she wrote me the ticket, I went in and paid over $1700 in taxes and fees and got my plate.

I pled not guilty in court and demanded a bench trial. The judge ordered me to speak with the prosecutor and he convinced me that even If I won the case I would still be on the hook for court costs. He spoke to the judge and I agreed to enter a plea of guilty if the judge would wave the fine. Still cost me $256.

It's an all out money grab

Perhaps you didn't know, but a local police officer, DOT police officer, deputy sheriff, or state trooper,
is authorized to come to wherever the vehicle is and do a VIN check. If the vehicle is out of state, FL will recognize a VIN verification from that state.

How do I know this? I used to do it for a living.

[paulandjean]

This Sat. April 20th. 7:00 p.m. Bailey Trail-- Golf Cart Drag Racing 4 race divisions. Gas,electric, under 20 mph and over 20 mph. Sponsored by "Rebels Cart Club" Be There. Keep it on the QT,do not want the cops to know......