Posted on 06/12/2008 11:58:17 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Beware: Puttering around on golf carts can be hazardous to your health.
Those little vehicles that lurch and buzz past fairways and greens — and increasingly down suburban streets — might be a cost-saving alternative to gas-guzzling SUVs and cars. But a pair of studies released this week suggests they do have their risks.
The research found that over a four-year period, nearly 50,000 people were hurt in accidents involving golf carts.
One of the studies, by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said about 1,000 Americans are hurt on golf carts every month. Males aged 10 to 19 and people over 80 had the highest injury rates.
A separate study by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, said annual injury rates for golf carts increased 130 percent over 16 years ending in 2006. The report said falling or jumping out of carts accounted for the largest number of injuries, 38 percent.
"Part of it is there are more people using them. Part of it is they are using them in more places," said Tracy J. Mehan of the injury research center, noting many carts can reach speeds of 25 mph.
About half of the injuries occurred on golf courses or in other sports venues, such as football stadiums. The rest were on streets or residential property.
Both studies, released Tuesday, reviewed records from U.S. emergency rooms on accidents involving golf carts.
Calls for comment on the studies were not immediately returned by officials of the National Golf Car Manufacturers Association and Augusta, Ga.-based E-Z-GO, which bills itself as the leading manufacturer of golf carts and utility vehicles.
On its Web site, the manufacturers association said there were no recent statistics on golf cart ownership or use. But most of the nation's estimated 16,000 golf courses have at least a few dozen golf carts, and more and more, both gas and battery powered, are being used for transportation in neighborhoods.
UAB researcher Gerald McGwin said some communities encourage the use of golf carts because of their low pollution levels, quiet operation and presumed safety.
"A lot of people perceive golf carts as little more than toys, but our findings suggest they can be quite dangerous, especially when used on public roads," he said in a statement.
McGwin recommends driver education and safety standards for golf carts, which are largely unregulated. He also called for the use of helmets and seat belts and better golf course design to reduce steep hills, sharp curves and other hazards.
The Ohio study suggested a minimum driving age of 16 for golf carts and rules banning children under 6 from riding in them. Driver training programs and written safety policies also could help, it said.
The Ohio report, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, said about 148,000 people have been treated for injuries related to golf carts since 1990.
UAB found there were some 48,255 golf-cart related injuries between 2002 and 2005 alone, or an average of about 1,000 each month.
The numbers of injuries have been increasing as more people rely on golf carts for transportation off golf courses. While there were about 5,772 injuries in 1990, the number more than doubled to 13,411 in 2006.
McGwin said bone fractures and head injuries were among the most common injuries detected in his study, published by the Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection and Critical Care.
"Golf carts are an attractive transportation solution due to their low emissions and cost effectiveness when compared to traditional motor vehicles," he said. "But more stringent safety standards should be applied to the design and use of golf carts, particularly those operated on public roads."
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in a 2005 report on the hazards of different sports activities and equipment, took note of golf carts.
"These vehicles are also related to a sizable number of incidents where the vehicle tipped over or a rider fell out or was ejected," the report said.
Golf pro Jim Newton hasn't seen any serious golf cart injuries in the three years since the Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa opened in suburban Birmingham. But he said a golfer died on a golf cart while trying to cross a busy highway at a course where he once worked.
Newton worries more about the safety of area residents who ride carts on busy streets than the golfers on his course.
"Our policy here is supervision. If you monitor it, it greatly reduces your chances of anything happening. We have two monitors on the course at all times," he said. "No one is monitoring on the street."
Quick! Call Nancy Pelosi! We have to ban golf carts!
Ah, the Nanny State. It’s in a never-ending quest to make sure that no one has any fun, anywhere, at any time.
Duh. It would be interesting to know how many injuries out of the total did NOT happen to members of those groups.
It’s gonna be a bitch playing golf in full leathers and a helmet.
“We looked back at the historic records and found something very startling” said Dr. Ima Moron. “Nearly 100% of all individuals who have died over the past 300 years, the time frame we studied, were at some point alive.”
A congressional committee has been formed to hold hearings on why this has occurred and to craft legislation to protect US citizens from this deadly threat.
“We looked back at the historic records and found something very startling” said Dr. Ima Moron. “Nearly 100% of all individuals who have died over the past 300 years, the time frame we studied, were at some point alive.”
A congressional committee has been formed to hold hearings on why this has occurred and to craft legislation to protect US citizens from this deadly threat.
Another babe to swaddle.
Stupid people get hurt in golf carts...it’s called Natural Selection.
"Is the cart gas or electric?", he was asked by a reporter.
Mumbles should have mumbled his answer, since he got it wrong.
When I was at Ga Tech in ,the mid-60’s a friend who had had polio used a three wheel golf cart to get around campus. It had a regular vehicle tag and was legal on the highway. Flat out it would run 45-48. The minimum speed on I-75/I-85 was 45mph.
So, being crazy college students, one day we decided to drive down I-75 to I-20, then out to take a look at the future site of Six Flags. (after all, we were “engineers”!)
Thankfully, traffic in those days was less and moved slower. I-75 was two lanes Southbound, two lanes Northbound. No one honked, yelled or gave us various “salutes”. We did get stuck in the mud at the Six Flags site, and wouldn’t you know it, he made me push! :-)
We made the trip out and back safely. Of course if we tried that now, we’d end up “Ramblin’ Wrecks”!
Idiot. Don't bring a golf cart to an F-150 fight.
When I recently spent time in FL and GA, I could not believe how many TV advertisements there were for golfcarts.
Do people really use golfcarts instead of cars?
Hey, Newton, come down to the Tampa area. Here we have people using golf carts as TRANSPORTATION off the golf courses. In Sun City Center, I've seen people coming from Home depot with 2 by 4s tied on the roofs.
you need to learn how to use a golf cart - what you want? air bags, seat belts and a 5 mph bumper?
Yes, in Florida it is their second car. I drive my golf cart around the neighborhood.
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