Golf carts were at one time only seen on Golf courses. In many communities today, golf carts are used as a primary mode of transportation. Instead of being used in areas only near golf courses, they are now being used on streets and roads in retirement communities, gated communities, and entire towns such as Viera, FL. This has the potential to pose many problems.
More golf carts on the road means more golf cart related accidents. Golf cart accidents tend to be severe and pose greater risk factors than normal cars on the road.
Golf cart operators are more often elderly or below the legal age to drive a vehicle while the minimum age to operate a golf cart in most places in Florida is only 14 years old. These young drivers most likely lack the care and experience to operate the cart safely.
Other characteristics of golf carts that lead to dangerous situations when mixed with full size cars and trucks on the road are:
Golf carts are ideal for traveling along level paths at low speed. Their features and design make them hazardous on other surfaces. The golf carts that travel at higher speeds are prone to rollovers because of their high center of gravity. Most Golf Carts are relatively lightweight, but they are still heavy enough to cause serious and fatal injury to people who are hit or trapped underneath.
The other issue with golf carts is that there is no consistent regulation regarding their use and safe operation. Communities that allow Golf Cart use should be most concerned with awareness. People who use golf carts away from courses should be careful about how they operate their cart, who they allow to operate them, and what safety procedures must be used to minimize accidents. No matter how cute, easy-to-operate and economical they are, golf carts are motorized vehicles that can cause serious loss and injury.
Erb and Young has two options for covering your Golf Cart. Liability and physical damage coverage can be added to your homeowner’s policy or you may purchase a stand alone policy that provides coverage similar to an auto insurance policy. Either way is very affordable and a Erb and Young agent will help you decide which is best for you.