A young golf cart driver, she appeared to be a young teen, darted out of a side street in front of my SUV just south of the 45 mph radar sign on Gasparilla Road. She saw me coming but clearly misjudged the relative speeds of her vehicle and mine. I braked hard, swerved, and avoided what could have been a fatal accident. Three others who looked like a mother and grandmother were also aboard. Uncharacteristically and for no apparent reason except that perhaps it was not their time to die, I had lowered my speed about 10 mph below the speed limit a few seconds before this child drove into my path.

A driver’s license should be mandatory even for a golf cart.