feature article
october
2019
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE
THE
RISK
OF GOLF CARTS
E
ducational
institutions
nationwide
frequently use
golf carts as utility
vehicles to transport
students and visitors,
patrol the campus
grounds, and perform
campus maintenance
activities—and it’s
easy to see why. Golf
carts are easier to
maneuver than cars,
they are often silent,
and some are electric,
making the golf cart
far less costly to own
and operate than a
regular car.
However, institutions should understand the risks golf carts
can pose and strategies for managing them. Golf carts are
not required to have lights, rear view mirrors, slow-moving
vehicle placards, or other safety mechanisms designed to
help protect the driver, passenger, and others nearby. Golf
carts also have a lower center of gravity than other vehicles,
which makes them more susceptible to turnovers. The Con-
sumer Product Safety Commission estimates that between
2009 and 2013, nearly 15,000 golf cart-related injuries per
year required an emergency room visit.
A forthcoming United Educators (UE) study found that golf
cart accidents on campuses cost UE and its members more
than $1.6 million from 2012 to 2016. Most (85 percent) golf
cart accidents resulted from reckless, negligent, or distract-
ed driving. Implementing a few key practices can help edu-
OCTOBER 2019
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