Wednesday, October 23, 2002
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Wednesday, October 23, 2002 |
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Complaints logged about 15-year-old golf cart drivers
By JOHN
MUNFORD
Peachtree City officials have received numerous complaints about 15-year-old golf cart drivers violating the rules of the road by failing to stop at stop signs and driving on the wrong side of the road. The Police Department is issuing warnings instead of ticketing violators. But in the future, citations will be written which can result in points being taken off the violator's driving permit, police Lt. John Anderegg explained to the City Council at its regular meeting Thursday night. Instead of developing penalties or restricting the 15-year-olds from driving carts after dark, council decided to let police educate the drivers about the need to follow the rules of the road when golf carts are driven on city streets. Councilman Steve Rapson questioned whether the complaints received were actually for 15-year-old cart drivers, who were recently allowed to drive unsupervised by a council action. It can be difficult to tell a 15-year-old from a 16-year-old, he said. "I think 15-year-olds are getting a bad rap here," Rapson said. But Councilwoman Annie McMenamin said she thought allowing the 15-year-olds to drive golf carts on their own "was a privilege ... so we're expecting a lot out of the 15-year-olds." McMenamin suggested council wait six months to allow the department to conduct its education program before taking any action. Police Chief James Murray is also supportive of the six-month grace period, Lt. Anderegg said. Lt. Anderegg told council that in his opinion, golf carts can be less safe than cars because they don't have seat belts or crumple zones to minimize injuries. "There are a lot of serious accidents," Anderegg said, specifically citing a stretch of hilly path "that the kids appropriately call suicide hill." In some golf cart accidents, occupants have been trapped in the golf cart or injured by battery acid burns, Anderegg added.
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