Common sense goes a long way when driving any vehicle, including golf carts, and particularly here in Cedar Key. A great thing is that you can legally drive a golf cart around this city if you stay completely off State Road 24.
It’s not just common sense that is required, but a set of laws governs golf cart operation and ownership. The set of laws are both city-generated and state-generated and may be easily found:
- Laws of Cedar Key, Chapter Two General Ordinances, Article IV: Transportation, Section 6.00.03.
- Florida Statutes, Title XXII Motor Vehicles, Chapter 316 State Uniform Traffic Control
These governing laws are intended to keep you and your passengers safe. Failure to follow the simple rules will earn the driver a citation from the Cedar Key Police.
Cedar Key’s atmosphere is so easy and comfortable and golf carts seem so informal, we sometimes forget that we are on city streets with other, sometimes huge, motor vehicles which have the right- of-way.
- leave driver’s licenses at home,
- let kids sit in drivers’ laps,
- let passengers stand while the cart is in motion,
- let kids drive who are not yet sixteen,
- drive thinking that we have the right of way and need not yield to regular traffic,
- assume that waving a hand indicating that the person behind you should pass you only puts the driver behind you in the consummate danger of the oncoming lane of traffic, often unable to see what is coming at him,
- drive on State Road 24,
- careen around corners as if we were in our own Ford 1450 truck.
- We’re in a moving motor vehicle capable of hurting someone,
- Stay off SR 24,
- Yield to all regular traffic (get off the road),
- Equip your cart properly,
- Have the adult drive and carry license and proof of insurance
- Monitor the behavior of your passengers.
Let’s remember that we can’t suspend our common sense in Cedar Key.
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