Golf Carts On Public Roads Are Becoming A Problem

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People who live in certain areas regularly see golf carts driving down public roads as an alternative form of transportation. There are many reasons why people are investing in the slow, little things, among them are fashion, cost, and the social factor of owning one. But the fact is there’s a fight brewing around their use.

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This past week, The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting report about two opposing forces in suburban America. One is buying up street-legal golf carts like crazy. The other is trying to find a way to get them banned from public roads.

Obviously, the two groups can’t both have their way.

With sales of street-legal golf carts skyrocketing ever since the covid lockdowns, if you don’t see them around where you live, it might only be a matter of time before they take over.

Among the reasons some people can’t stand the golf carts on public roads is that they’re slow and supposedly clogging up traffic. Ironically, others say teens and tweens drive them like maniacs, speeding and almost hitting pedestrians.

But some of the most concerning claims have to do with drivers scared for the safety of the cart drivers and passengers. After all, in a collision with a full-size truck or SUV, the golf carts are dwarfed.

The things lack airbags, crumple zones, and often seatbelts. In other words, the people riding in them could suffer serious injuries in a crash, whether it’s their fault or not.

Even more disturbing, while some states require a driver’s license to operate a golf cart on public roads, some families either are unaware of the law or ignore it, allowing young children to drive around alone and unsupervised.

Just like e-bikes, golf carts are red hot with people looking for different ways to get around. Blame it on covid lockdowns, the huge price tags modern cars carry, or social media trends, everyone is going to have to navigate the issue at some point.

Images via DavidZipper/X

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