>>JENNIFER WAUGH: A WARNING NOW FROM THE SAINT JOHNS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE. 3
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY
HURT AND ONE MAN HAS DIED AS A
RESULT OF CRASHES INVOLVING
GOLF CARTS LAST YEAR. THE
SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS THERE
WERE 21 GOLF CAR CRASHES, 6
INVOLVED CHILDREN. ANOTHER 15
OF THEM INVOLVED IN ADULT
DRIVER AND 3 OF THOSE ADULTS,
AS I MENTIONED, WERE BADLY
HURT. A 47 YEAR-OLD MAN DIED
IN A GOLF CART CRASH 2 MONTHS
AGO IN THE COUNTY DIRECTOR
SCOTT BEAVER WITH THE SAINT
JOHNS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
IS JOINING US VIA ZOOM THIS
MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THANKS
FOR BEING WITH US.
>> YEAH, GOOD MORNING,
JENNIFER. THANKS FOR HAVING
ME. SO DIRECTOR, I THINK THAT
WE TEND TO THINK THAT GOLF
CART CRASH IS MOSTLY HAPPENED
TO YOUNG INEXPERIENCED DRIVER.
SHOULD TEENAGERS WHO JUST
AREN’T BEING CAREFUL. BUT THE
STATS CLEARLY SHOW THAT MORE
ADULTS ARE INVOLVED IN THESE
CRASHES THAN TEENS. WHAT WOULD
YOU SAY ARE THE 3 MISTAKES
THAT THESE DRIVERS ARE MAKING
THAT LEAD TO CRASHES?
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: WELL, I TELL
YOU, MOST PEOPLE THINK JUST
BECAUSE IT’S A GOLF CART IS
NOT DANGEROUS. BUT WE KNOW
THAT’S NOT TRUE. AND PEOPLE
THINK YOU CAN GET HURT ON GOLF
CARTS AND THEN THEY REALLY
UNDERESTIMATE THE SPEED AND
WHICH YOU AND HOW YOU DRIVE
THESE GOLF CARTS. THEY DROP
THEM A LITTLE MORE RECKLESSLY
THAN THEY DO A REGULAR VEHICLE
AND WHICH ALWAYS TENDS TO LEAD
TO A CRASH WHERE A FOURSOME
AGAINST HER ARE AREN’T ARE
KILLED AND LIKELY BECAUSE THEY
DON’T THINK THEY CAN GET HURT
ON A GOLF CART AS IT DOESN’T
GO. 65 MILES AN HOUR THAT
SAID, I THINK THAT THERE’S
ALSO AN ASSUMPTION I’VE
NOTICED JUST EVEN IN MY OWN
COMMUNITY.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: THAT WELL AS
SOMEONE’S DRIVING A GOLF CART,
YOU KNOW, THERE’S ALL THESE
RULES AND LAWS ASSOCIATED WITH
IT. BUT THE REALITY IS THAT
THERE’S NOT.
>> YOU’RE RIGHT. WELL, FIRST
OFF TO DRIVE A GOLF CART IN
THE STATE OF FLORIDA. ALL YOU
HAVE TO BE US 14 YEARS OF AGE
WHICH WE REALIZE HERE IN SAINT
JOHNS COUNTY. THAT’S A
PROBLEM. SO WE’RE WORKING NOW
TO CHANGE THAT COLE COUNTY
ORDINANCE. WE WANT IT TO MATCH
THE SAME THING YOU DO TO
OPERATE VEHICLE. THERE’S A
REASON THAT YOU START OUT AT
15 YEARS OLD. YOU TAKE A
DRIVER’S TEST. YOU LEARN TO
SPEED LIMIT SIGNS. THE STOP
SIGNS THAT, YOU KNOW, SIDES.
AND YOU ALSO HAVE TO HAVE
SOMEBODY THAT IS AN
EXPERIENCED DRIVER SITTING
NEXT. YOU FOR AT LEAST 50
HOURS. SO YOU BECOME
COMFORTABLE, YOU GET
EXPERIENCE AND YOU LIVED
THROUGH SITUATIONS OF WHAT TO
DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO AND HOW
TO REACT.
>>LAUREN VERNO: WOULD YOU
EXPLAIN MEAN WHAT ARE THE
RULES WHEN YOU’RE IN A GOLF
CART? I MEAN, IS THERE A LIMIT
ON HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN BE IN
THE GULF CAR? DO THEY HAVE TO
BE SEAT BELTED IN? WHAT ABOUT
KIDS? ARE THEY REQUIRED TO BE
RESTRAINED IN A GOLF CART?
>> SO IN A GOLF CART, THERE
ARE HARDLY ANY RULES AT LIKE
YOU SAY, 14 YEARS OF AGE,
THERE’S NO THAT YOU HAVE TO
HAVE A SEAT BELTS. THERE’S NO
RULES. IF YOU HAVE AN EFFORT
THAT HAS TO BE BELTED A CAR
SEAT AND A GOLF CART, THERE’S
NO RULES OF HOW MANY PEOPLE
CAN ACTUALLY RIDE ON A GOLF
CART. SO THERE’S SO MANY
VARIABLES THAT. LEAD TO
DISASTER AND LEAD TO PEOPLE
JUST TAKING THINGS FOR
GRANTED, WHICH ULTIMATELY
LEADS TO SOMEBODY GETTING HURT
OR KILLED.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: SO IT’S
INTERESTING BECAUSE I THINK
THAT PEOPLE WHEN THEY THINK
GOLF CARTS INITIALLY MAYBE
YEARS AGO, IT’S JUST THAT
THESE GOLF CARTS ARE ONLY, YOU
KNOW, ON GOLF COURSES. WHAT
ARE THE RULES WHEN IT COMES TO
WHERE THEY’RE ALLOWED TO BE
DRIVEN, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, ON
SIDEWALKS OR EVEN IN
RESIDENTIAL STREET.
>> YEAH. SO IN ORDER TO DRIVE
A GOLF CART OWN ANY ROADWAY,
IT HAS TO BE DESIGNATED A GOLF
CART APPROVE ROADWAY ABOUT THE
COUNTY AND PEOPLE THINK JUST
BECAUSE IT’S A COUNTY ROAD
THAT YOU AUTOMATICALLY GET
DROPPED KARNAL. AND THAT’S NOT
TRUE AT ALL. THE OTHER PLACES
THAT YOU CAN DRIVE A GOLF CART
OR MULTI USE PASS, WHICH ARE
SHARED GOLF CARTS, BICYCLISTS
AND PEDESTRIANS, THE SPEED
LIMIT ON THIS PASTOR 50 MILES
AN HOUR. SO THOSE ARE AND YOU
CANNOT DRIVE A GOLF CART ON A
REGULAR SO THE ONLY 2 LEGAL
PLACES TO DRIVE IS A MULTI CAR
PATH OR A ROADWAY THAT HAS
BEEN DESIGNATED BY THE COUNTY
HAS GOLF CART APPROVED.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: YOU KNOW, I
INTERVIEWED A DIRECTOR OF
FAMILY LAST YEAR IS A 16
YEAR-OLD WHO WAS ON A GOLF
CART. HE WASN’T DRIVING IT,
BUT HE WAS A PASSENGER AND HE
STEPPED OFF KIND OF
ACCIDENTALLY BEFORE YOU COME
TO A COMPLETE STOP. HE FELL
BACK, HIT THE BACK OF HIS HEAD
AND QUITE FRANKLY, HE NEARLY
DIED. HIS FATHER IS A DOCTOR.
AND WHEN HE CAME UP AND HE SAW
HIS SON AND HE JUST KNEW HOW
BAD IT WAS.
>>LAUREN VERNO: YOU THINK IT?
AND HE SAID, I NEVER THOUGHT
THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN TO MY
SON, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU’RE
NOT THINKING ABOUT THEM
FALLING ON ASPHALT YOU KNOW,
YOU THINK THAT IT’S GOING TO
BE A SOFT SURFACE. DO YOU
THINK IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE
THAT PARENTS ARE MAKING WHEN
IT COMES TO LETTING YOUR KIDS
EITHER DRIVE OR BE A PASSENGER
IN GOLF CART.
>> WELL, FIRST, LIKE I SAID
BEFORE, PEOPLE DON’T THINK
BECAUSE THE GOLF CART YOU CAN
GET HURT, WHICH WE ABSOLUTELY
KNOW IS NOT TRUE. AND I THINK
WE GET A FALSE SENSE OF
SECURITY BECAUSE THE LAW SAYS
WE CAN DRIVE A GOLF CART. 14.
ARE YOU? TEENAGERS ARE READY
TO DRIVE LESS AND WE ALL HOPE
AND PRAY THAT OUR TEENAGERS
ARE VERY MATURE AT YOUNG AGES
AND WE HAVE GREAT KIDS IN OUR
COMMUNITY. THE REALITY IS IT’S
ALL ABOUT EXPERIENCE AND
UNDERSTANDING THE DANGERS AND
HOW TO OPERATE THAT GOLF CART.
AND WE ALL KNOW YOU GET 5 OR 6
KIDS ON THE GOLF CART AND
SOMETIMES KIDS WILL JUST BE
KIDS AND THEY WILL MAKE A
MISTAKE AND NOT INTENDED TO
HURT ANYONE. BUT ULTIMATELY
IT, LISA, THAT SO DO WE JUST
HAVE TO CHANGE THE LAWS A
LITTLE EDUCATE OUR PEOPLE AND
TEACH THEM HOW TO PROPERLY
OPERATE THESE GOLF CARTS
BECAUSE THEY ARE DANGEROUS.
AND IF WE THINK BACK GOLF
CARTS WERE NOT DECIDE TO USE
THEM LIKE WE’RE USING THEM AND
ANOTHER BIG MISPERCEPTION IS
IF IT LOOKS LIKE A GOLF
PARTNER SAYING IT’S A GOLF
CART, WHICH THERE’S A WHOLE
NOTHER CATEGORIES WHICH IS
CALLED LOW-SPEED VEHICLES. AND
THAT TAKES US INTO A WHOLE
NOTHER ROUND. LOVE LAWS AND
RULES AND REQUIREMENTS TO
OPERATE WITH A WELL DIRECTOR.
WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
FOLLOW YOUR PART PART YOUR
PUSH CERTAINLY TO CHANGE
THINGS IN SAINT JOHNS COUNTY.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME THIS
MORNING.
>> YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS,
JENNIFER HAVE TO REACH OUT TO
THE SAINT. JOHNS COUNTY
SHERIFF’S OFFICE WILL GET SOME
INFORMATION. BUT ON OUR
WEBSITE ABOUT THE DO’S AND
DON’TS OF THE MOST COMMONLY
MISTAKEN LAWS OF GOLF CARTS.
THANK YOU, DIRECTOR
APPRECIATED. AND WE WANT TO
HELP YOU OUR VIEWER GET YOUR
QUESTIONS ANSWERED ABOUT
SAFETY CONCERNS. LIKE WHEN I
REACHED OUT TO SAINT JOHNS
COUNTY SAID, HEY, WHAT ARE YOU
MOST CONCERNED ABOUT? THIS IS
WHAT THEY BROUGHT TO MY
ATTENTION.
>> AS IF YOU LIVE IN ANOTHER
COMMUNITY, FOR EXAMPLE, AND
YOU HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT MAYBE
CRIME WHERE YOU LIVE OR WHERE
YOU WORK, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM
YOU. YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY
TO ASK LAW ENFORCEMENT A
QUESTION WE WILL WORK TO GET
IT ANSWERED FOR YOU. LOOK FOR
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