Golf Car Rules of the Road
May 12, 2018
Bulleted summary of Fred Briggs, VHA President, email message on avoiding golf cart injury or worse.
He mentions that "golf carts are vehicles that may be fun to drive and certainly many provisions have been made in our wonderful community to facilitate their use, but they are also dangerous and have the potential to cause fatalities. In almost every case of deaths involving golf carts, occupants have been ejected causing them to crash headfirst on to the pavement eventually causing death."
Hopefully this summary will help to minimize this from happening.
Bulleted summary of Fred Briggs, VHA President, email message on avoiding golf cart injury or worse.
He mentions that "golf carts are vehicles that may be fun to drive and certainly many provisions have been made in our wonderful community to facilitate their use, but they are also dangerous and have the potential to cause fatalities. In almost every case of deaths involving golf carts, occupants have been ejected causing them to crash headfirst on to the pavement eventually causing death."
Hopefully this summary will help to minimize this from happening.
- Excessive speed: Golf cart speed by law is 20 mph - 'Do you know that if you’re involved in an accident and your golf cart has been “adjusted” for more speed (greater than 20 mph) both your warranty and your insurance may be invalidated?'
- "Street Legal” carts can go to 25 mph, but no faster.
- The speed limit on the Sumter Bridge is ten (10) mph.
- The speed limite in our Villa communities is also ten (10) mph
- Wear a seat belt, especially when the passenger(s) are children - holding a small child in your lap, in the case of an accident, would certainly be badly injured or worse.
- Never put small children without seatbelts in back facing seats
- Turn signals - if they are small consider adding mirrors with flashing lights or some other device that signals other drivers of your intentions.
- Always use appropriate hand signals to inform those around you of your intentions.
- Pull off of the road or multi-modal path to text or talk on cell phones unless you have a hands-free option
- Do a full stop at STOP SIGNS or STOP POLES
- Attend the VHA's Golf Car Safety Program and learn a lot more about what Fred has been talking about. (3rd Wednesday every month at 9:00 am at the Colony Recreation Center)
- Go on the VHA website thevha.net and watch the [recently updated] video
- Make sure everyone who will be driving views the VHA video before they go out in the golf cart.
- Slow down, obey the laws, and help our local Law Enforcement Personnel keep us safe!
April 10, 2018 message from VHA:
Need a Short Review on Driving Your Cart?
The 2018 VHA Golf Cart Saftey Video is now on our website and available to all.
Browse to our website (thevha.net) select the Golf Cart Saftey drop-down menu
then click VHA Golf Cart Saftey VIdeo. Enjoy.
VHA Golf Cart Safety Meetings
3rd Wednesdays - 9AM-11AM - normally at Colony Cottage The Study
https://www.thevha.net/all-2015-golf-cart-saftey-clinic-meetings/
3rd Wednesdays - 9AM-11AM - normally at Colony Cottage The Study
https://www.thevha.net/all-2015-golf-cart-saftey-clinic-meetings/
These Guidelines provided for informational purposes only, to help you enjoy using a golf cart & to help keep you and your loved ones safe.
- Follow the same traffic laws as cars, including regulatory signs and the use of directional or hand signals when making turns - operator can be issued a traffic citation (fines and points on your license). It’s safer to use hand & turn signals.
- Speed not to exceed 20 mph. Operator doesn’t require a license but must be over 14 years of age.
- May not cross over or drive on highway 27/441, CR466, CR466A, Griffin Ave or any with speed limit 35 mph or higher
- Can be operated on a state road that has been designated & marked for golf cart use.
- Use only multi-modal trails adjacent to El Camino Real, Buena Vista Boulevard, Morse Boulevard and CR466 & CR466A; cross these roadways only using the marked tunnels (exceptions: can cross El Camino Real at the traffic light between Enrique Drive and Botello Ave.
- Not permitted to travel on Rainey Trail (CR472), yet permitted to cross between Lynnhaven and Miona Shores Drive.
- On streets within The Villages, with a posted speed limit of 30 mph or less, golf carts should be driven in the marked diamond lanes or along the right-hand edge of the street if there is no marked lane.
- No riders standing in the vehicle or on the back platform of the vehicle
- Keep arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times
Golf Cart Safety Clinics are presented by The Villages Homeowners' Association. http://www.thevha.net/ Also contact your local sheriffs department for more info. source: http://www.villagesgolfcartman.com/id16.html and DistrictGov.org and VHA |
VHA Video on Golf Cart Rules - Video Link - Highlights: (time points in the video) - 2:55 safety lesson - 8:55 insurance coverage (including coverage for renter of use of your cart while renting your home - that requires a separate policy); - 9:57 Gas Cart Maintenance - 11:15 Electric Cart maintenance - 15:02 Lt. Seimer on traffic rules / citations for you and your visitors (Note from Susan Riding: @ 17:20 - how to make a left turn contrary to a January 2017 resident editorial in thevillagesnews.net - they are incorrect in their interpretation of Golf Cart Rules. You should safely merge into the left turn lane using hand signals before turning left. You SHOULD NOT stop in the golf cart lane until traffic is clear and then make the left turn from the golf cart lane, that will cause accidents) |