Golf carts are no longer confined to golf courses.

Across the United States, they are increasingly being used in retirement communities, gated neighborhoods, beach towns, resorts and residential developments. That shift has made the vehicles more convenient for short trips, but it has also exposed riders to road hazards that traditional golf carts were never designed to handle.

A study by H&P Law found that golf cart crashes now result in more than 15,000 emergency department visits and around 600 fatalities each year, while golf cart injury rates have increased 132% over a 17-year period.

More than half of the U.S. golf cart fleet is now used for non-golf purposes, meaning carts are increasingly sharing space with cars, bicycles, pedestrians and other road users despite often lacking seat belts, doors, airbags and reinforced frames.

The findings suggest that golf cart safety is becoming less of a recreational issue and more of a neighborhood transportation problem.

More Than Half of Golf Carts Are Used Outside Golf Courses

Golf carts were originally designed for controlled environments where speeds are low and traffic is limited.

That is no longer how many are being used.

More than 50% of the U.S. golf cart fleet now serves non-golf purposes, including transportation through residential communities, resorts and gated developments.

As usage has expanded, injuries have increased sharply.

Golf cart injury rates rose 132% between 2007 and 2017, while federal injury data shows annual golf cart-related injuries increasing from roughly 6,000 in 1990 to around 18,000 by 2015.

Another 1,234 golf cart crashes were reported in 2025.

The problem is not limited to inexperienced drivers. Four in 10 crashes involve golfers with several years of experience, showing that familiarity with the vehicle does not eliminate the risk.

Unlike traditional passenger cars, most golf carts offer little structural protection in a collision or rollover. Many lack doors, airbags, reinforced frames and other features designed to keep occupants protected during a crash.

Residential Communities Record More Crashes Than Golf Resorts

Where golf carts are being used has become a major part of the safety problem.

Residential communities experience 25% more golf cart accidents than golfing resorts, while another 15% of crashes occur on private property such as farms and large estates.

Parking lots also present a recurring risk, accounting for 11% of minor-damage crashes.

The greatest geographic concentration is across the Sun Belt, which accounts for 60% of all golf cart injuries.

Florida leads the country in golf cart-related emergency department visits.

The Villages, Florida, one of the largest golf cart communities in the country, provides an especially clear example of how serious the issue can become when carts function as an everyday transportation option.

Police respond to more than 100 serious golf cart incidents annually in the community.

Between 2012 and 2022, 875 crashes were documented, and 48% resulted in hospitalization or death.

Arizona, South Carolina, Georgia and California also experience particularly high golf cart injury rates per capita, largely because of the prevalence of retirement communities.

Tourism creates another spike in risk. Golf cart crashes in beach communities increase 30% during Spring Break, when rental users, pedestrians and cyclists are more likely to be sharing roads and paths.

Nearly Half of Golf Cart Crashes Happen on Public Roads

As golf carts move beyond private courses, public roads have become one of the most common places for accidents.

Forty-five percent of golf cart crashes occur on roads.

That creates a significant mismatch between golf carts and traditional passenger vehicles, particularly because cars and trucks are larger, faster and considerably more protective.

Among golf cart crashes involving another vehicle, 65% occur at intersections.

Another 20% involve a stationary object.

Crash Pattern	Share
Crashes occurring on public roads	45%
Vehicle crashes occurring at intersections	65%
Crashes involving stationary objects	20%
Weekend crashes	38%
Summer crashes	65%
Crashes occurring in daylight	70%

Saturday is the most common crash day, July is the most common month and 7 p.m. is the most common time for golf cart accidents.

Summer alone accounts for roughly two-thirds of crashes.

Falls and Ejections Cause a Large Share of Injuries

Golf cart riders do not need to collide with another vehicle to suffer a serious injury.

Falls and ejections account for 40% of golf cart accidents and 35% of injuries.

Rear-facing seats increase the risk of being ejected by 25%.

Overcrowding creates another problem.

Around one-quarter of crashes involve more than three passengers, while having more than two people seated on a bench contributes to 18% of falls.

Rollovers account for approximately 10% of golf cart crashes.

Speed makes those crashes more likely. A golf cart traveling faster than 15 mph is three times more likely to roll over during a sharp turn.

Wet roads increase the likelihood of skidding by another 50%.

Because carts have less structural protection than standard vehicles, a relatively low-speed rollover or ejection can still result in substantial injuries.

Alcohol Is Involved in Around Half of Fatal Golf Cart Crashes

Fatal golf cart crashes remain comparatively rare, representing approximately one in every 1,000 accidents.

But alcohol plays a significant role when those crashes do become deadly.

Alcohol is involved in around half of fatal golf cart accidents.

Impaired operators are also 10 times more likely to exceed safe operating speeds.

Distracted driving has become another growing concern.

Mobile phone use is involved in approximately 10% of modern golf cart accidents.

Activities such as texting, eating, talking or looking away from the roadway can be especially dangerous in carts because the vehicles are less stable and offer less protection if an occupant is thrown out.

Nighttime driving presents another risk.

Driving without headlights contributes to 5% of fatal golf cart crashes, despite 70% of all crashes occurring during daylight hours.

Traumatic Brain Injuries Are a Major Concern

The injuries associated with golf cart crashes can be considerably more serious than many riders expect.

Traumatic brain injuries are involved in 17% of golf cart crashes.

Despite that risk, only 2% of victims were wearing helmets.

Lower-extremity injuries are the most common reason for emergency treatment, accounting for 24% of visits.

Injury or Outcome	Share
Lower-extremity injuries	24%
Traumatic brain injuries	17%
Hand and wrist fractures	15%
Hospital admission	8%
Emergency surgery	5%
Permanent disability	3%
Spinal cord injuries	1%

Soft-tissue injuries occur in approximately 90% of golf cart crashes.

Although hospital admission and permanent disability represent smaller shares, the lack of occupant protection can make even relatively low-speed incidents medically significant.

Children Account for Nearly One-Third of Golf Cart Injuries

Children are disproportionately represented in golf cart injury statistics.

Children under 16 account for 31% of all golf cart injuries.

More than half of injured golf cart occupants are 12 or younger, while more than 6,500 children are injured by golf carts each year.

The highest injury rate by population occurs among children ages 10 to 14.

Adolescents are also three times more likely than adults to fall from a moving golf cart.

The head-injury risk is especially concerning.

Half of child golf cart crashes result in a traumatic brain injury.

Children do not even need to be passengers to be hurt. More than 10% of pediatric golf cart injuries occur when children are struck by the vehicle.

Young drivers contribute to the problem as well.

Unlicensed operators under 16 are involved in one in five serious golf cart accidents.

Supervision appears to reduce the risk considerably. Children supervised around golf carts experience 60% fewer accidents than those who are unsupervised.

Older Adults Face the Highest Fatality Risk

Older adults face a different set of risks.

Adults over age 80 have the highest risk of fatal injury in a golf cart crash.

More than 80% of elderly victims were driving when their crash occurred.

Retirees living in age-restricted communities account for 40% of golf cart crashes occurring on roads.

Drivers older than 70 are less likely than younger operators to be intoxicated during crashes, but they are more likely to suffer orthopedic injuries.

That makes golf cart safety particularly important in retirement communities where older adults may rely on carts for routine trips to stores, recreation centers, pools and community amenities.

Modified Golf Carts Carry Higher Injury Rates

Golf carts are also increasingly being altered to travel faster.

Approximately one in four golf cart owners has modified their cart for better performance.

Those modifications are associated with a 40% higher injury rate compared with standard carts.

Speed becomes particularly dangerous when golf carts are driven alongside faster-moving traffic.

Operating a cart on a road with a posted speed limit above 35 mph doubles the likelihood of involvement in a fatal crash.

Men are also more heavily represented in risky driving statistics.

Male operators are involved in 1.5 times as many crashes as women and account for 75% of recorded reckless-driving incidents.

Many Communities Lack Dedicated Golf Cart Paths

The infrastructure surrounding golf cart use has not always kept pace with its growth.

Forty percent of communities where golf carts are popular do not have a dedicated cart path.

That often forces riders onto roads or shared-use areas with bicycles, pedestrians and faster vehicles.

Shared bike and golf cart lanes account for 22% of crashes.

The problem is compounded by differing state and local laws.

Golf carts are prohibited from operating on roads in New York, Alabama and Hawaii.

Communities that do permit street use typically limit carts to roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less.

However, only 30% of major retirement communities meet that standard, suggesting that many carts are operating in environments that do not align with commonly recommended speed limits.

Seat Belt Rules Remain Inconsistent

Safety requirements vary considerably between communities.

Sixty percent of municipal golf cart laws do not require seat belts, even though a lack of seat belt use is a factor in 70% of crashes involving occupant ejection.

Turn signals present another major gap.

Approximately 80% of golf carts involved in public-road crashes failed to signal before turning, often because the vehicle was not equipped with turn signals.

Those differences become important when distinguishing between traditional golf carts and low-speed vehicles, or LSVs.

Traditional golf carts are generally designed for golf-course use and speeds up to 20 mph.

Low-speed vehicles can travel up to 25 mph and are designed more specifically for public roads, typically incorporating additional safety requirements.

When owners modify carts to exceed their original speed capabilities, registration, equipment and insurance requirements may change as well.

Golf Cart Use Has Outgrown the Environments They Were Designed For

The findings compiled by H&P Law show that America’s golf cart safety problem is being driven in large part by how dramatically the vehicles’ role has changed.

More than half of the U.S. golf cart fleet is now used outside traditional golf settings, residential communities experience 25% more crashes than golf resorts and 45% of golf cart accidents occur on public roads.

At the same time, the groups most vulnerable to injury include children and older adults.

Children under 16 account for nearly one-third of injuries, while adults over 80 face the highest fatality risk.

Many carts are also being operated in communities without dedicated paths, on roads with faster traffic and without basic safety equipment such as seat belts or turn signals.

Golf carts may still travel at relatively low speeds, but the data shows that low speed does not necessarily translate into low injury risk when a recreational vehicle becomes part of an everyday transportation network.