Dangers of Golf Carts Brought to the Fore

June 2008

When spending the day golfing, injuries may not seem par for the course. However, accidents involving golf carts have caused injuries to thousands of people over the years.

A recent report in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine revealed that nearly 150,000 people – including babies as young as two months and people as old as 96 years – were hurt by golf carts from the years 1990 to 2006. According to researchers, injury numbers over the 16-year time period increased more than 130 percent, from about 5,700 in 1990 to more than 13,000 in 2005.

The most common cause of injury for both adults and children – accounting for more than one-third of the cases – was falling or jumping from a golf cart, leading to injuries to the neck or head, including concussions. The rise in golf cart-related injuries comes partly because the electric cars are now being used for transportation at places other than the golf course. Furthermore, the carts have become more powerful, now reaching 25 mph, without being subject to federal regulation.