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.