How Much Do We Know about Low-Speed Vehicle and Golf Cart Communities and Crashes: A Case Study in Nocatee, Florida
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 149, Issue 8
Abstract
Low Speed Vehicle (LSV)/Golf Cart (GC) communities are those modern residential areas that fully or partially allow LSVs/GCs to travel within the community. Whereas LSV/GC communities are increasing rapidly, the safety impacts of LSV/GC on the community have rarely been investigated. Also, no national uniform manuals are available for guiding the proper design of signs, pavement markings, and signals in the community. In this study, five years (2016–2020) of fatal crash data that involved LSV/GC were extracted from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database to: (1) provide an overview of LSV/GC fatal crashes in the United States, (2) discuss characteristics of LSV/GC fatal crashes, and (3) delineate significant contributing factors. A case study in a large LSV/GC community in Florida was conducted to identify current issues and recommend improvements on: (1) driving behavior of LSV/GC drivers, (2) LSV/GC-related traffic control devices, and (3) LSV/GC community planning. The findings can help national and state agencies make proactive decisions to enhance traffic safety and livability for LSV/GC communities.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for sharing the data.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 149 • Issue 8 • August 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 11, 2022
Accepted: Apr 10, 2023
Published online: Jun 7, 2023
Published in print: Aug 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Nov 7, 2023
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Cited by
- Abdallah Kinero, Kabhabhela Bukuru, Enock E. Mwambeleko, Thobias Sando, Priyanka Alluri, Modeling injury severity of crashes involving golf carts: A case study of The Villages, Florida, Traffic Injury Prevention, 10.1080/15389588.2023.2291332, 25, 2, (165-172), (2023).