Golf carts not so safe

Star Beacon

BY ADAM RAEDER - Staff Writer June 18, 2008 01:49 am

— In a normal summer, Greg DelPrince may get three calls asking him where to buy a golf cart.
The 21-year pro and director of golf at Hickory Grove Golf Course has already hit that number this season.
“To be honest with you ... I’ve had three or four phone calls asking me, ‘Greg, can I get the number where you get golf carts from? I’m thinking about getting one to drive around my trailer park or farm.’”
It’s part of a growing trend of golf cart use that’s leading to another growing trend — golf cart injuries.
A study by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus reported that the annual injury rates from golf carts increased 130 percent in the 16 years ending in 2006.
A separate study by the University of Alabama at Birmingham said that roughly 1,000 Americans are hurt in golf carts every month, with males 10-19 years old and those over 80 accounting for the largest number of injuries, over 38 percent of the total.
Both studies compiled their numbers by looking at emergency room records from across the U.S.
After 32 years at Erie Shores Golf Course, John Miller has seen plenty of golf cart accidents — from carts going into the lake, to carts driven into trees, to one that was even set on fire.
“Running into trees is probably the biggest thing,” Miller said.
Miller said most of the problems he’s come across have come from drivers being careless in their carts.
“The main thing is, people let their foot hang out of the cart and they run over it,” Miller said. “I know at Geneva-on-the-Lake, someone went over a hill, didn’t see someone on the other side and ran him over. He did some serious injury to the person. We haven’t had any serious injuries, but we have broken feet.”
Those broken feet are part of about 148,000 golf-cart related injuries reported since 1990, according to the Center for Injury Research report.
According to the report, more and more people — like those calling DelPrince — are taking golf carts from the greens and using them as a fuel-efficient mode of transportation. As a result, injuries have gone up — from 5,772 in 1990 to 13,411 in 2006.
The carts, which have no seat belts, can be modified to travel upwards of 30 miles per hour, though it’s something Miller advises against.
“Get one with gas, make sure that you take care of it, keep the spark plug (in good condition) and don’t doctor it up,” Miller said of his advice for would-be cart owners. “That’s another thing people do because they want it to go faster. It can get out of control.”
While DelPrince has seen interest in golf carts grow, he hasn’t seen any problems find their way onto Hickory Grove.
“Really, the only thing, thank God, that’s happened here, knock on wood, is we have a hazard that runs through the center of the golf course. It’s maybe a six-foot wide creek. One time, somebody didn’t put the safety break down far enough and the cart rolled away from them,” he said. “That’s the only mishap we’ve had.”
It’s an assessment echoed by Hemlock Springs Golf Club’s Greg Maruna.
“We’ve been lucky. We really haven’t had any major problems at all,” the 18-year manager said.
And Maruna’s advice for anyone looking to purchase a golf cart was simple.
“The main thing is just being sensible,” he said. “Don’t go on too hilly of terrain. Just use your head.”

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