Use Good Sense Behind the Wheel


Use Good Sense Behind the Wheel

The first electric golf cart was built in 1932 but widespread acceptance did not occur until the 1950s when they were used as an alternative means of individual transportation for people with disabilities. Since that time, the golf cart has become faster and more nimble. Today, it is both amazing and scary to see all the things that people do with an electric golf cart.

Recently, the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, discovered that nearly 148,000 golf cart-related injuries were reported between 1990 to 2006. Because these vehicles are being used in resorts, hospitals, industrial settings, airports, campuses and on the roadways of low-speed communities, many of the 13,500 reported injuries in 2006 occurred away from the links. 

According to Dr. Lara McKenzie (one of the authors of the study), electric carts tend to bring out the devil in everyone and people are getting hurt because they do things in a golf cart they normally wouldn’t think of doing, such as:

  • Jumping out of the cart while it is still rolling
  • Dumping carts into lakes and ponds
  • Failing to activate the cart's parking brake
  • Rolling a golf cart upside down
  • Falling out of the cart on sharp turns
  • Crashing the cart in a low-speed chase with police

The leader in golf-cart related injuries is leg fractures. This most often occurs when the driver or passenger leaves a leg hanging out the side while the vehicle is traveling on or off the road. With this in mind, Dr. McKenzie had several safety recommendations. When operating a golf cart, keep your feet flat on the floor at all times, use the hand grip above your head for stability, avoid sudden turns and don't make modifications like disabling the speed governor.

If golf appealed to you as kid because you might have gotten to drive the cart, you may have a tendency to treat yours like a plaything. Should that urge occur, the research study concluded that you're better off taking your aggression to a local go-cart track or amusement park. That way, you'll have the proper driver's gear and safety barriers to protect you in case of poor decision making behind the wheel. For more safe driving tips or information about safety accessories for your cart, contact Moto Electric Vehicles today.

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