LEHI, Utah — A serious golf cart crash in Lehi leaves six children aged 12 and 13 injured, sending three to the hospital last week. Lehi City Police Department Officer Tyler Prawitt believes it's part of a growing trend with other electric vehicles.
“It is dangerous, I want them to know that,” said Prawitt. “Not just the number of golf carts, but smaller and smaller children are driving these things around. It’s caused some problems and it’s becoming more of an issue."
On August 1, the teenagers were driving a golf cart through the neighborhood. While making a turn, they flipped over.
The three that were sent to the hospital with severe injuries are expected to make a full recovery.
“It’s heartbreaking to roll up on a scene like this golf cart incident and to see the chaos and the damage caused,” added Prawitt.
Marla Brannum is an injury prevention program coordinator, with the Utah County Health Department.
She said driving golf carts on streets poses risks to people inside and outside the vehicle.
“You could be the safest driver in the world on a golf cart, but you can’t control for emergencies,” said Brannum. “You can’t control for that neighborhood child whose ball ran across the street and they ran out into the street, and they’re not designed to stop quickly. If they do, there’s nothing to protect any of the occupants in them.”
No helmets, seat belts or vehicle inspections are required according to state law. Golf carts are legal on the roads only if it’s written in city code. Here is the state statute.
“As parents, we need to address this with our children, the safety of this and the repercussions,” said Prawitt. “There has been no education about how to drive these vehicles safely and the experience that comes with that and so we’ve got small children driving these things with big vehicles around.”
The best way to keep yourself safe if you want to drive a golf cart – “Go golfing,” said Prawitt. “They’re perfectly legal in golf courses, they’re not legal to drive on the roadways here in Lehi city.”
