Wednesday, August 6, 2003

It is very clear to me that little to no thought was put into coming up with the new laws regarding the operation of golf carts in Peachtree City. By no means are golf carts as dangerous as an automobile; so why would the laws and consequences concerning this matter be equal to that of automobile operation?

The fact is not that I am totally against changing the laws for golf cart operation in Peachtree City, but that I feel these changes and the environment for which these laws now apply were not honestly considered. I am positive that if the people responsible were to do some research on the significant role that golf carts play in this community, and possibly even take some suggestions from persons in Peachtree City who would be affected by these changes that a better thought-out solution could have been established.

Peachtree City is a community that was built to thrive on the use of golf carts for transportation, and is constantly changing more and more to fit their prided persona. Just this past year McIntosh High School added a new parking lot just for golf carts to cope with the traffic jams created by the large number of golf carts to be used as personal transportation to and from school. This was a result of the changing of the age in which a person could operate a golf cart unaccompanied by another licensed driver over 18 to 15 instead of 16.

Lowering the age to 15 ended up working out well for the school with the addition of the new parking lot because many of the previous problems with traffic as well as the new ones were solved or at least greatly decreased.

Peachtree City is fairly large, but with 80 some miles of pathways for golf carts networking through neighborhoods, shopping centers, woods, and other places it all seems to be quickly and easily accessible without much traffic. A large number of teenagers, 15 and up, who did not have a license for whatever reason relied on the use of a golf cart to drive themselves to work, school, sports activities, and many other things.

Did anyone even consider the elderly who have given up their license because they feel they can no longer operate a vehicle safely and now depend solely on their golf carts as transportation to supermarkets for groceries, to hospitals, or even their job? Many elderly couples will be left stranded with no way of getting from place to place and leading a normal life of self-dependence while they still can. Sure, some may be able to ask a relative for a ride, but most will not be able to have a permanent chauffeur to depend on like that.

When considering changing or adding a law, one must not only think of the adaptations that should be made to help correct certain reoccurring problems, but also of the costs or penalties that one must pay for the different offenses that will be dealt with. Gaining points on one's license for small offenses like reckless driving, which can be interpreted in many forms, or even losing one's license is very harsh punishment for a motorized vehicle that goes no faster than 15 mph.

Matt Kellerman

Fayetteville, Ga.