Golf Cart Safety Blog

Titling and Registering Your Converted Golf Cart Here’s what you need to register your new low speed vehicle: 1. The Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin or a bill of sale for the golf cart 2. Form HSMV 84490 (Statement of Builder) completed by customer and Compliance Examiner/Inspector 3. Form HSMV 86064 (Affidavit for Golf Cart Modified to a Low Speed Vehicle) 4. The original bills of sale or receipts for all parts used to convert the golf cart to a low speed vehicle 5. A certified weight slip for the converted golf cart 6. Take items 1 through 5 to your local Motorist Services regional office for an inspection and VIN assignment. 7. Form HSMSV 82040 (Application for Title) 8. Proof of Florida insurance, minimum $10,000 PDL and $10,000 PIP 9. Sales tax or sales tax exemption information for all parts 10. Identification, driver license or identification card or passport 11. Applicable fees. a. Inspection fee - $40 b. Title fee - $75.25 to $85.25 c. Plate fee - $28 or plate to transfer d. Initial Registration Fee - $225 (if applicable) e. Registration fee varies by weight of vehicle NOTE: The golf cart converted to a low speed vehicle must be street ready BEFORE applying for the title and registration. Alexis BAKOFSKY Press Secretary Office of Communications Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles 2900 Apalachee Pkwy, Tallahassee, FL 32399 Office (850) 617-2378 Cell (850) 294-3540 www.flhsmv.gov

Low speed vehicles are vehicles with top speeds of 20 to 25 MPH. Golf carts can be converted to low speed vehicles and vice versa so the two are often confused. Owners of low speed vehicles have higher Federal safety standards as well as other requirements. For example, a low-speed vehicle may be operated only on streets where the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less. Also, a low-speed vehicle must be equipped with headlamps, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, tail lamps, reflex reflectors, parking brakes, rearview mirrors, wind shield, seat belts, and vehicle identification number. Any person operating a low-speed vehicle must have in his or her possession a valid driver license. And, most importantly, a low-speed vehicle must be registered and insured with Personal Injury Protection and Property Damage Liability. Office of Communications Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles 2900 Apalachee Pkwy, Tallahassee, FL 32399 Office (850) 617-2378 Cell (850) 294-3540 www.flhsmv.gov

Another Golf Cart Ejection Fatality THERE HAVE NOW BEEN AT LEAST FOURTEEN GOLF CART RELATED FATALITIES in The Villages in the last six years. In the last two years, in addition to four fatalities, there have been TWENTY-TWO golf cart occupants who were EJECTED from their golf cart and ONE who fell out of a golf cart that had to be etrauma alertedf to Shands, Ocala Regional or Orlando Regional Trauma Centers because of the severity of their injuries. NONE WERE WEARING A SEAT BELT. (We have no knowledge as to whether any of these life-threatening injuries resulted in an eventual fatality.) The latest golf cart accident which resulted in a FATALITY occurred on Sunday, February 16th - An 86 year old female golf cart operator was ejected from her cart when she collided with a car at the intersection of West Boone Court and Paradise Drive in the Village of Orange Blossom Gardens. Unfortunately, the Villager passed away on Saturday, February 22nd as a result of her injuries. Over the last two and one-half years, the POA Bulletin has featured a monthly article about golf cart accidents and ejections in The Villages and the role seat belts in golf carts might have played in saving lives. The April 2014 issue of the Bulletin might be described as a gcapstoneh article on golf cart safety and the role of seat belts in golf carts. When the POA first began featuring articles on golf cart safety, very little press was given to this important topic in The Villages Daily Sun. However, as is noted in the April issue of the POA Bulletin, the Daily Sun, the VHA, and The Villages Golf Cart Store are now suggesting that residents seriously consider using seat belts in their golf carts for general travel. We applaud this fairly recent emphasis on the role of seat belts in golf cart safety by both the VHA and the Daily Sun. The POA will now defer to the Daily Sun and other daily news outlets such as the on-line Villages-News.com for coverage of golf cart accidents and safety, primarily because they report daily, whereas the POA Bulletin is a monthly publication. The POA is proud to have emphasized the role of seat belts in golf cart safety very early on. Although we will not dedicate as much press to this topic as we have in the past, we urge all golf cart users to consider the use of seat belts in their carts, and to follow stories in the Daily Sun and the on-line Villages-News.com about golf cart safety and accidents.  

Another Golf Cart Ejection Fatality! There have now been AT LEAST THIRTEEN GOLF CART RELATED FATALITIES in The Villages in the last six years. In the last two years, in addition to three fatalities there were TWENTY-TWO golf cart occupants who were EJECTED from their golf cart and ONE who fell out of a golf cart that had to be ‘trauma alerted’ to Shands, Ocala Regional or Orlando Regional Trauma Centers because of the severity of their injuries. NONE WERE WEARING A SEAT BELT. (We have no knowledge as to whether any of these life-threatening injuries resulted in an eventual fatality.) The latest fatal accident occurred on Tuesday, February 25th – late evening – a 76 year old male was ejected from his cart when he hit a curb. Unfortunately, the driver died on March 9th as a result of his injuries. Hopefully, now that the Daily Sun and the Villages Golf Car Store have finally come out suggesting consideration of the use of seat belts in golf carts when not on the golf course, residents should take heed!!! In the February 24th edition of the Daily Sun, a front page article was on golf cart safety features and the first one it discussed was the use of seat belts in golf carts. It reiterated what the POA has been saying for two years – “…District Public Safety responded to 12 (now 13) fatalities attributed to non-rollover ejections during the last four (it’s actually six) years, department records indicated.” The VHA, which heretofore did not advocate golf cart seat belts in their monthly golf cart safety classes and film, recently advised in a statement by President Gottschalk at the VHA membership meeting that, “The annual membership meeting focused on golf cart safety in part because of the number of accidents in the past year.” It had a representative from the Villages Golf Car Store present who provided a display on safety equipment, emphasizing lights to make carts more visible, and seat belts to keep people secure during sudden stops or quick turns. Hopefully the VHA will revise and add a positive statement on seat belt usage in their ‘Golf Cart Safety Brochure’, as well as encourage the use of seat belts in their Golf Cart Safety class. Below is an article which we published in the July, 2012, Bulletin which explains why wearing a seat belt on Villages roads is not the same as wearing one on a golf course where the use of a seat belt is not recommended. GOLF CART TRAVEL…ARE YOU SAFER IN A SEAT BELT? In 1997, aware that golf carts increasingly were migrating from golf courses onto city streets, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration created a new category called Low Speed Vehicle to regulate safety. The vehicles are capable of reaching 20 to 25 mph, and include what the safety administration calls personal neighborhood vehicles, neighborhood electric vehicles, and golf cars. All are required to have seat belts and other safety devices. However, golf carts that go slower than 20 mph -- which are far less expensive and the kind most often used on Village streets -- are not regulated, unless state or local governments set rules. Golf carts (when used on golf courses) are typically not equipped with seatbelts because of their need to allow passengers to enter and exit the vehicle frequently with ease. Therefore, the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) golf cart safety standard, Z130.1, does not require seatbelts for golf carts. As a result, it became necessary to equip golf carts with passive restraints to try and protect un-belted passengers from ejection. (A look at the statistics here in The Villages indicates that this ‘fix’ is not sufficient.) In place of seat-belts, golf cart standards require readily accessible handholds and body restraints that prevent the occupants from sliding to the outside of the vehicle. In a 1998 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report, it stated that, discussions with various manufacturers and vendors produced an essentially unanimous viewpoint on the subject of safety restraints on a golf cart. They are viewed as a potentially dangerous accessory and a definite legal/litigation liability for the low speeds and uneven terrain that is a golf cart’s typical OPERATING ENVIRONMENT. The perception is that it is generally preferable to step from or be thrown from a golf cart that is starting to ROLL OVER than to be strapped to the vehicle. The sculpted or hilly terrain of many golf courses, results in a fairly high propensity for tipping and rolling, which can occur at very low speeds. This hazard is aggravated at golf courses that incorporate hilly terrain with steep, narrow golf cart paths and sharp turns. However, a review of golf cart crashes in The Villages confirms safety experts previous statements which indicate rollovers are most common on hilly golf courses, not on streets, as most of those involve a cart turning on its side, not upside down.

Golf Cart Crashes March, 2014 The POA Website – http://www.poa4us.org Recent reports (ONLY THOSE THAT IN-VOLVED EJECTION, FALLING OUT OF THE GOLF CART, AND/OR INJURIES are provided) that we have received from Village residents, Public Safety, and area law enforcement. (Note: we cannot guarantee that the information we receive is completely accurate about all the details.) USE OF SEAT BELTS MIGHT KEEP YOU IN YOUR CART! Monday, January 13th – 2:50PM - An open letter to the POA: While driving with my wife on the trail behind Laurel Manor buildings, I entered the golf cart path traffic circle near Rt. 466. My wife, for some reason, thought I was going to go clockwise (left) around the circle. She hollered, "right," as I entered the circle properly, so I began to turn right (east) out of the traffic circle, thinking that this was what she meant. Since we originally intended to go 3/4 of the way around the circle and head west, she yelled, "left, left". I then twirled the steering wheel to the left and somehow managed to stay on the pavement, but the extremely QUICK TURN FLUNG MY WIFE FROM THE CART out onto the lawn, where she landed flat on her back, with her head slamming into the lawn, so hard it flung her glasses about twelve feet. I quickly pulled the cart off the pavement and ran to her. She was awake, but barely coherent. Others arrived from their carts to help. I called 911 and she was transported to the Ocala Trauma Center where an MRI showed a concussion. She stayed overnight for observation and came home the next after-noon. This short visit has, so far, been billed to us in the amount of $57,000!!! Three weeks after the accident, she is feeling no significant after effects. However, had her head hit pavement as hard as it hit the lawn, I am sure she would be permanently disabled or dead. We were very lucky. As referred to in the story about shutting the barn door after the horses escaped, we have just had seat belts installed on our cart. I wish we had taken heed of your messages in the previous POA Bulletins regarding seatbelts being recommended. Monday, January 13th – 6:15PM – This crash occurred at the intersection of Belvedere Boulevard and Weston Manor Drive. The driver of a green 2005 Club Car was stopped (facing east) in the intersection waiting to make a left turn onto Weston, and as he started his turn, he was hit on the side by a red 2005 Club Car. The 80 year old driver of the red cart stated he noticed the green cart stopped in the roadway waiting to turn left and attempted to pass it on the left at the same time the green cart turned. The driver in the green cart was not injured. After making contact, the red cart crossed Belvedere and jumped a nearby curb. THIS ACTION EJECTED THE DRIVER AND HIS PASSENGER INTO THE FRONT YARD OF A NEARBY RESIDENCE. FOR-TUNATELY, THEY LANDED ON GRASS AND NOT ON THE PAVEMENT. The driver, who was cited for careless driving, suffered minor injuries and refused transport, but his 80+ year old passenger was transported to The Villages Hospital for swelling to the left side of her face and to her left side. Monday, February 3rd – 5:30PM – a golf cart northbound on Belle Meade had merged into the automobile lane to turn left onto Legacy Lane into Chatham Village. The golf cart was stopped at the stop sign waiting on Legacy Lane traffic. An automobile westbound on Legacy attempted to turn left onto Belle Meade and cut the corner too short and struck the golf cart. THE OCCUPANTS WERE EJECTED FROM THE GOLF CART AND LANDED ON THE PAVEMENT, The driver was unconscious, on the pavement with head injuries, when the EMS arrived and the passenger had a shoulder injury. Both were transported to The Villages Hospital.