First, I have been a resident

of Peachtree City for 22 years, have attended all the city schools, and

was a teenager in Peachtree City. I know the opportunity and danger of

the cart paths, especially to a 15-year-old with little driving experience.

I have scars from a golf cart

accident when I was a teenager, after being thrown from the cart while

acting childish, so I have been there. I also have four kids who frequently

try to ride their bikes on the path, but are often faced with speeding

carts who run them off the path.

I, myself, am afraid to take

my kids on rides because of the many blind curves where they could meet

a cart head on, no matter who is driving. I have been hit head on by another

adult who was not paying attention on one of those curves. I shudder to

think if she had hit my 6-year-old who was a few yards in front of me.

So I agree with you, Mr. Appelhans,

that most 15-year-olds should not be driving on the paths unsupervised,

and I know there are always exceptions. I have also been on the other

side, in a uniform.

I am a former police officer

for Peachtree City. I myself have patrolled these carts more times than

I can count. I was regularly assigned to the cart paths in a golf cart,

on a bike, or on foot. I also patrolled cart paths in my assigned area

of the city on my own during a regular patrol shift.

The police department is doing

the best they can and with the many miles of paths to cover, there is

no way they can be everywhere. When they can, I know they enforce the

law, not because of a supposed "quota" or because they supposedly

enjoy "harassing teenagers," but because they are sworn to uphold

the law. Also because they have seen the effects of reckless driving on

golf carts.

In my four years with the department,

I responded to regular medical calls on the cart paths because of golf

cart injuries. Some of those injured had to be taken via helicopter due

to serious injuries, and many were children.

I believe that as a community,

we cannot place the sole responsibility of keeping the citizens safe on

the paths on the shoulders of the police department. We have an obligation

as parents to police our own children, report dangerous behavior and obey

the laws our elected officials have made.

So, yes, they call parents

to come pick up their underage children, and the parents often also get

charged themselves for allowing their children to drive. And, yes, there

are often officers somewhere on the paths, day and night, but you might

never see one.

Until we have an unlimited

amount of officers on duty who can answer the many calls for service in

the community and be highly visible around the clock on the paths, we

need to be thankful for the attempt the police department is making in

trying to keep all the citizens safe, both in our homes, on our roads

and on the cart paths. My family is.

Heather Horne

Peachtree City