April 2020 GCOptions Apr20 MAGZTER | Page 25

RIZON GOLF CART LAWS Arizona is a beautiful state that is full of beautiful weather and incredible driving conditions. As a result, people often enjoy taking a multitude of vehicles out for rides. The same is true of golf carts. Arizona has a variety of differ- ent rules and regulations that help to keep the roads as safe as possible. These laws will vary depending on various aspects of state and municipal laws. Thankfully, these regulations are quite easy to understand, even by the average person with little law experience. Understanding Current Federal Law Arizona Golf Cart Laws & Regulations (What You Need To Know) hour. Numbers. As most golf carts are not capa- ble of exceeding these speeds, this means that state laws reg- ulate a vast majority of golf cart use on state and local roads. However, Arizona is currently exempt from the need for a windshield due to state laws. Any vehicle that is manufac- tured to travel over 20 miles per hour will fall under federal laws. These changes are necessary because they set up regulations and guidelines that ensure all vehicles on the road meet a minimum standard of safety. However, golf carts are inca- pable of meeting these speeds unless they are modified specifi- cally by the owner. While cart owners may take to the road without meeting all of these standards, they will be breaking the law to do so. As a result, modified golf carts – even though they go over 20 miles per hour – are still subject to state and not federal law. Such lawbreaking is not advised, as drivers may end up suffering from fines if caught and even jail time if their behavior causes dangerous accidents. Typically, these laws require many types of upgrades to a cart before it is road ready. Federal law is not particular- ly strict when it comes to golf carts. When a golf cart is fully upgrad- ed to become road-ready, it is then classified as a low-speed vehicle. Typically, the federal govern- ment doesn’t interfere with a state’s restrictions regarding golf carts because they lim- it their rules to vehicles that exceed speeds of 20 miles per Any vehicle that qualifies for this grading requires headlights, stop lights, turn signals, tail lamps, parking brakes, wind- shields, seat belts, reflex reflec- tors, and Vehicle Identification Talk to your local DMV officials to get a better idea of what you need to do. Registration and Insurance Rules Beyond these laws outlined above, Arizona also has regu- lations on registering a vehicle and getting insurance. For example, all golf cart own- ers are required, by the Arizona APRIL 2020 25