Golf carts are often seen as low-risk vehicles used to move players across a course, but their use now extends far beyond the fairway. Across the U.S., golf cart crashes in neighborhoods, public roads, and traditional course settings lead to more than 15,000 emergency department visits and around 600 fatalities each year, while golf cart injuries have increased 132% over 17 years.
As the use of golf carts for non-golf-related activities increases, so too does the risk of golf cart crashes in a variety of environments beyond traditional settings.
Golf Cart Crashes In America
Golf cart crashes in America are no longer limited to inexperienced drivers or traditional course settings. While many states require operators to hold a driver’s license or learner’s permit, four in ten crashes involve golfers with several years of experience, showing that familiarity alone does not eliminate risk.
As carts are increasingly used in neighborhoods, resorts, gated communities, and other non-golf environments, the potential for serious crashes now extends well beyond the course.
Golf Cart Usage
Golf carts are no longer used only to move players across a course. According to study data, more than 50% of the U.S. golf cart fleet is now used for non-golfing purposes, reflecting how common these vehicles have become in neighborhoods, gated communities, resorts, and other residential settings.
That wider use has brought new safety risks. This is especially important because many golf carts were not designed for the way they are now being used. Unlike standard passenger vehicles, golf carts typically lack doors, airbags, reinforced frames, and other protective features that help reduce injury risk during a collision or rollover.
When these vehicles are used in neighborhoods, retirement communities, resorts, and public spaces, riders may be exposed to vehicle-like crash risks without vehicle-level protection.
As golf carts and low-speed electric vehicles have become more common across the U.S., injuries have also increased. A 17-year Ohio State University-affiliated study found that golf cart injury rates rose by 132% between 2007 and 2017, while 1,234 golf cart crashes were reported in 2025.
The injury trend also shows how quickly the issue has grown. Federal injury records show golf cart-related injuries rose from roughly 6,000 in 1990 to about 18,000 by 2015, while a peer-reviewed analysis found older-adult golf cart injury rates climbed from about 4.8 to 8.1 per 100,000 between 2007 and 2017.
This suggests the rise in golf cart crashes is not just the result of more carts being used, but also of more vulnerable riders using them in more complex environments.
As these vehicles move further beyond the course, crash risk is becoming more concentrated in the communities and public spaces where carts are used as everyday transportation.
Where Golf Cart Accidents Are Most Concentrated
Many golf cart crashes happen in the same places where carts are being used less like recreational vehicles and more like everyday transportation. Residential communities experience 25% more golf cart accidents than golfing resorts, while 15% of crashes occur on private property, including farms and large estates.
Intersections, parking lots, and other low-visibility areas are also common problem spots, with parking lot collisions accounting for 11% of minor-damage crashes.
Geographically, the risk is especially concentrated across the Sun Belt, which represents 60% of all golf cart injuries. Florida leads the U.S. in cart-related ER visits, and The Villages, the country’s largest golf cart community, shows how serious the issue can become in areas where carts are part of daily life.
Police respond to more than 100 serious golf cart incidents there each year, while an NCBI study documented 875 crashes between 2012 and 2022, 48% of which resulted in a hospital visit or fatality.
Beyond Florida, Arizona, South Carolina, Georgia, and California also rank especially high for golf cart injuries per capita, largely because of the number of retirement communities in each state. Beach communities face seasonal risks as well, with golf cart accidents increasing by 30% during Spring Break.
Tourist-heavy areas also face a different kind of golf cart risk. Visitors may be less familiar with local roads, cart paths, community rules, or the handling differences between a golf cart and a standard vehicle.
First-time rental users account for a notable share of golf cart rental injuries, which helps explain why resort and beach communities may see more problems during peak travel periods. In these areas, golf carts are often treated as a convenient vacation vehicle, but unfamiliar drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and shared paths can create more opportunities for crashes.
This is also why intersections, parking lots, and low-visibility areas matter so much. Golf carts are smaller and slower than standard vehicles, but that does not always make them easier to see or safer to operate. In communities where carts share space with cars, bikes, e-bikes, pedestrians, and parked vehicles, even low-speed crashes can result in serious injuries.
Rules also vary widely depending on the state. Golf carts are prohibited from being driven on roads in New York, Alabama, and Hawaii, while golf cart-friendly areas generally limit road use to streets with speed limits of 35 mph or lower.
However, that standard is only met by 30% of major retirement communities, showing how quickly community design can fall behind actual golf cart use.
Golf Cart Accidents: Common Causes and Injuries
Golf cart accidents are often tied to predictable seasonal, behavioral, and environmental risks. Around 65% of golf cart accidents happen in summer.
Although fatal golf cart crashes are relatively rare, representing around 1 in 1,000 crashes, alcohol is a key factor in around half of fatal golf cart accidents, with impaired drivers 10 times more likely to pass safe operating speed thresholds.
Common Causes of Accidents
Falls and being ejected from the cart are a significant cause of golf cart injuries (40% of accidents and 35% of injuries). Rear-facing seats increase the risk of ejection by 25%, while an overcrowded cart is another key cause of cart falls.
Rollovers are also a concern, particularly when speed or poor conditions are involved. Around 10% of golf cart crashes involve rollovers; carts traveling over 15mph are three times more likely to suffer a rollover during a sharp turn, while wet roads increase the chances of a skid by 50%.
Passenger behavior can also increase the risk of a crash or ejection. About 25% of golf cart accidents involve more than three passengers in the vehicle, while overcrowding, particularly having more than two people per bench, is a factor in 18% of falls. Hanging arms or legs outside the cart, racing, sharp turns, downhill acceleration, and driving over uneven terrain can also turn a short ride into a serious injury risk.
Distracted driving is another modern concern. Mobile phone use is a factor in 10% of modern golf cart accidents, while eating, drinking, talking, or texting behind the wheel can further reduce a driver’s reaction time. These behaviors may seem less dangerous in a golf cart than in a car, but carts are less stable, less protective, and more vulnerable to rollovers and ejections.
The risk also increases when carts are used outside traditional golf course settings. Golf cart crashes are more likely to happen on public roads than on golf courses, with 45% of all cart accidents happen on roads.
Most crashes, 70%, occur during daylight hours, with Saturday, July, and 7 pm the most common accident times. Intersections are a particular danger point, with 65% of golf cart crashes involving other vehicles happening at intersections, while 20% involve a stationary object.
Weekend travel also plays a role, with weekend accidents accounting for 38% of recorded golf cart mishaps. Although most accidents happen during daylight hours, nighttime driving remains a concern when carts are not equipped with proper lighting. Nighttime driving without headlights accounts for 5% of fatal golf cart crashes, reinforcing the importance of basic safety equipment when carts are used beyond private courses.
Collisions with other moving motor vehicles represent 15% of golf cart accidents. While this is smaller than the share of crashes involving falls, ejections, or stationary objects, these vehicle-to-vehicle crashes can be especially serious because golf carts offer little protection compared with cars, trucks, or SUVs.
Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries are a factor in 17% of golf cart crashes (as previously mentioned, children suffer the highest TBI rates). Despite the risk of a serious head injury, just 2% of victims were wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
Injuries involving lower extremities (including leg fractures) account for 24% of emergency visits, followed by hand and wrist fractures (15%). Soft tissue injuries are also common, occurring in 90% of golf cart crashes. A smaller but serious share of accidents lead to a stay in hospital (8%), emergency surgery (5%), a permanent disability (3%), and a spinal cord injury (1%).
Injury Age Brackets
The average age of an injured golf cart occupant is 38, although the risk of injury varies for different age groups.
Children represent a disproportionate share of golf cart injuries. Children under 16 account for 31% of golf cart injuries, with male teenagers responsible for 60% of fractures accrued by young drivers.
More than 50% of those injured in golf cart crashes are 12 years old or younger, with half of child crashes leading to a traumatic brain injury.
Additional pediatric data further highlights this risk. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 6,500 children are injured by golf carts each year, with just over half of those injuries involving children 12 and under. The highest injury rate per population occurs in the 10-14 age group, while adolescents are three times more likely than adults to fall from a moving golf cart.
Children may also be injured even when they are not operating the cart. Over 10% of pediatric golf cart injuries involve the patient being struck by the vehicle, and infants and toddlers account for 2% of golf cart emergency room visits despite restricted use.
At the other end of the age range, adults over 80 are at the highest risk of a fatal injury, with over 80% of elderly victims driving during the crash.
Specific groups face pronounced levels of risk. Retirees in age-restricted communities represent 40% of golf cart crashes on roads, while tourists are 20% more likely than local residents to crash in island communities.
Older adults face a different type of risk. Drivers over the age of 70 are less likely to be intoxicated in golf cart crashes, but they are more likely to suffer orthopedic injuries. This is especially concerning in retirement communities, where carts are often used for short daily trips and where older drivers may be more exposed to public-road, intersection, and shared-lane risks.
Cart Driver Behaviors
Risky driving behaviors can make already-vulnerable vehicles even more dangerous. One in four cart owners has modified their golf cart to enhance its performance, and these modified vehicles have a 40% higher injury rate than standard models. Driving a golf cart on a road with a speed limit of over 35 mph also doubles the chances of being involved in a fatal crash.
In terms of gender, men are involved in 1.5 times more crashes than women and account for 75% of recorded reckless-driving incidents.
Underage and unlicensed operation is another concern. Unlicensed drivers under 16 are involved in 1 in 5 serious golf cart accidents, which is especially concerning given how often children are injured as passengers or bystanders. Multi-generational households may also see a higher incidence of child-occupant injuries, particularly when carts are used casually around neighborhoods, clubhouses, pools, or community amenities.
Supervision can make a measurable difference. Children who are supervised around golf carts have 60% fewer accidents than unsupervised children, showing that prevention is not limited to stricter laws or better vehicle design. Clear rules around who can drive, where carts can be operated, and how children should ride can reduce the likelihood of serious injuries.
Insurance awareness is low among golf cart owners, with 45% unaware that standard homeowners’ insurance typically doesn’t cover golf cart accidents that occur on public roads.
Infrastructure Problems
Driver behavior is not the only issue. Many communities are insufficiently capable of dealing with golf cart traffic. 40% of communities in which carts are popular don’t have a dedicated cart path (and 22% of crashes occur in shared bike/cart lanes, which are often crowded).
Another 6% of off-road accidents happen in public parks, a fact that further emphasizes the use of golf carts in areas beyond traditional golfing environs.
Golf Cart Laws, Safety Standards, and Liability Issues
The number of golf cart injury lawsuits has risen by 20% over the past decade, with the average medical claim over $15,000. As more carts are used outside traditional golf course settings, questions around safety standards, insurance, and liability become more important.
Safety remains a major problem, with 60% of municipal golf cart laws lacking any seat belt requirement, despite a lack of a seat belt being named as a factor in 70% of accidents involving an occupant being ejected from a cart. Additionally, 80% of golf carts involved in public-road crashes did not make a turn signal, often due to not actually being equipped with a turn signal.
Golf Carts vs. Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs)
Golf carts are designed to be used on a golf course, have a maximum speed of 20 mph, and are not usually equipped with the safety features needed for road use. By contrast, Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs) are designed to be used on public roads, can travel at speeds of up to 25 mph, support higher weight capacities, and account for 5% of reported accidents.
This distinction matters because a modified cart may cross into a different legal category. Once a golf cart is modified to meet or exceed 20 mph, it may be treated more like a Low-Speed Vehicle, which is generally considered a motor vehicle under federal law. That can change the expectations around equipment, registration, insurance, and road use.
For many cart owners, this creates confusion. A standard golf cart may be cheaper and less complex than an LSV, but it also tends to come with fewer safety features.
LSVs are generally built more like small road vehicles and are typically subject to more safety and inspection requirements. In practical terms, an LSV may be better suited for street use, while a traditional golf cart may become riskier when used in places it was not designed to operate.
Unlike golf carts, LSVs are considered motor vehicles in most states and usually need to be registered, titled, insured, display license plates, and pass safety checks. In order to be able to legally drive on roads, golf carts usually need modifications like headlights, taillights, turn signals, mirrors, seat belts, VINs, and registration plates, plus insurance.
Golf cart driver license laws vary by state, although most states require a driver to have a license or learner’s permit before they can drive a golf cart on public roads. Both golf carts and LSVs are generally restricted to roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less, although in some states the limit is lower.
Nevada’s Laws
Nevada allows the use of golf carts on approved residential roads, as long as they meet required equipment standards (by featuring the correct lights, mirrors, brakes, reflectors, and slow-moving-vehicle decals). In larger Nevada counties, operators occasionally need a DMV permit, plus insurance.
LSVs are regulated as conventional motor vehicles. As such, they need to adhere to additional federal safety requirements, weigh less than 3,000 pounds, carry equipment (such as a windshield, seat belts, parking brakes, VINs, and lighting), and need registration, insurance, emissions compliance, and an appropriate driver’s license. They can operate on roads with speed limits of 35 mph or lower, but can’t use high-speed highways except when they’re crossing an intersection.
In terms of DUI regulations, Nevada’s laws apply equally to both golf cart and LSV operators, while crash liability is determined according to standard negligence regulations.
Golf Cart Safety in America
Golf cart danger has long been underestimated across the United States. As this study makes clear, golf carts and low-speed vehicles are increasingly being used in residential communities, gated neighborhoods, public roads, resorts, and other spaces beyond the course. At the same time, many carts still lack the basic safety features found in passenger vehicles, including doors, airbags, reinforced frames, and consistent restraint systems.
Children remain one of the clearest safety concerns. More than 50% of golf cart injuries involve people aged 12 or younger, and half of child injuries from golf cart crashes involve traumatic brain injury.
Overall, children under 16 account for 31% of all injuries, while adolescents are three times more likely than adults to fall from moving carts.
Children under 16 account for 31% of golf cart injuries, with male teenagers responsible for 60% of fractures accrued by young drivers.
The risk is not limited to children. Adults over the age of 80 face the highest fatality risk, while retirees account for a large share of public-road crashes in age-restricted communities. Tourists also face elevated risk in resort and island communities, where first-time or unfamiliar cart users may be operating on roads, paths, or shared spaces they do not know well.
Prevention starts with treating golf carts more like vehicles and less like toys. Regular safety inspections are essential if golf cart owners want to protect riders and bystanders.
Some of the key golf cart safety checks include checking for loose brake cables, cracked tires, corroded battery terminals, tire pressure, tread wear, steering issues, and whether safety features like lights, horns, and turn signals are working properly. Tire maintenance is especially important because under-inflated tires can increase rollover risk during turns.
The following simple safety tips can also help anyone driving a golf cart avoid trouble:
- Don’t drink and drive.
- Follow speed limits.
- Don’t let underage or unlicensed operators drive a cart.
- Don’t overload the cart or allow more passengers than the cart is designed to carry.
- Keep arms and legs inside the vehicle.
- Stay focused on the road and avoid texting, eating, or using a phone while driving.
- Use lights, reflectors, mirrors, and turn signals when operating near traffic.
- Slow down near intersections, parking lots, shared paths, pedestrians, and cyclists.
- Always slow down when going down steep slopes, especially when turning, as steep slopes contribute to 15% of golf course-specific accidents.
- Once you’ve stopped, make sure your parking brake is set in the locked position and remove your keys from the ignition while the cart is unattended.
Further state or national restrictions, particularly regarding seat belts, road-use rules, and safety equipment, may be necessary to reduce the number of golf cart crashes. However, operators also need to understand the risk.
A golf cart may feel harmless during a short neighborhood ride, but reckless operation, overcrowding, poor maintenance, missing safety equipment, or use on unsafe roads can quickly lead to serious injury or death.
If someone else caused your injury in a golf cart crash, or if you were walking nearby when a negligent golf cart driver struck you, you may need a Las Vegas accident lawyer to pursue damages from the at-fault party.
H&P Law staff have more than six decades of combined legal experience. Let our Las Vegas golf cart accident lawyer represent you in your golf accident lawsuit. Get in touch for a free case consultation.
