Golf Car Rules of the Road

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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. 

  • 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!
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​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/
These Guidelines provided for informational purposes only, to help you enjoy using a golf cart & to help keep you and your loved ones safe.
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  • 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. 
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  •  May not cross over or drive on highway 27/441, CR466, CR466A, Griffin Ave or any with speed limit 35 mph or higher
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  • 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
  • Left turn:  After signaling your intentions, carefully merge with vehicular traffic just prior to the intersection and turn using the proper signal and turn lane where available.

  • Right turn:  Be aware of vehicles turning right across golf cart lane

  • Anywhere signage or road markings provide such direction; golf cart traffic should always merge with vehicular traffic. 

  • Golf carts should always yield to other vehicular traffic in all cases.

  • Golf carts are not permitted to travel on sidewalks.

  • Secure children & pets

  • Basics still apply – no text/phone while driving; don’t pass on curve, pull off the path when you need to stop, yield to automobiles, come to a full stop at a stop sign, drive for you AND the other person regardless of right-of-way (don’t expect them to mind the rules of the road)

  • Never enter a roundabout in a golf cart

  • Limit passing slower carts

  • Golf carts are subject to Florida’s Open alcoholic container laws

  • Note… though it doesn’t make sense, we understand that it is not legal to sit in a parked golf cart & drink while on a town square.

  • Night Time or Low Light Driving - At night, your golf cart must have head lights, brake lights, turn signals, and reflective warning devices on the front and rear sides. Use headlights 30 minutes before sunset & 30 minutes after sunrise; headlights should always be used during inclement weather

Please remember, in the event of collision with an auto or truck, you have about as much protection as if you were riding a motorcycle
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)
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