Bluffton fire officials urge golf cart safety amid increase in crashes

BLUFFTON, S.C. (WTOC) - As summer ramps up in Bluffton, fire officials say they are responding to more golf cart crashes and related injuries, a seasonal trend they see every year as more residents and visitors use the small vehicles for short trips around town.

Golf carts have long been common on golf courses, but officials say they have become increasingly popular in neighborhoods and coastal communities like Bluffton, where they are used to reach community pools, shops and restaurants. Depending on the area, carts may travel on designated paths or share local roads with street-legal vehicles.

In South Carolina, drivers must be at least 16 years old to operate a golf cart. Bluffton Township Fire District officials say crashes involve both teens and adults, and inexperience is often a factor. They say some drivers treat golf carts like regular vehicles, but a cart’s handling and shifting weight can make it easier to lose control or tip over.

“We’re seeing anything from, you know, bumps and bruises, a little road rash, all the way to major head trauma,” said Haley Frazier, a community risk reduction educator with the Bluffton Township Fire District. “So, there’s really nothing that doesn’t fall within the category of potential injuries when driving a golf cart.”

Frazier said drivers also underestimate the potential damage a cart can cause.

“We’re seeing people get behind the wheels that have no idea what they’re doing, handle it like a regular vehicle, get into those accidents,” she said. “And a golf cart, although it is much smaller, it is a heavy piece of machinery, and it can cause very serious damage.”

Officials note golf carts can weigh roughly 650 to 1,100 pounds, making crashes potentially severe. They recommend treating a golf cart with the same care as a car — staying seated, keeping arms and legs inside the vehicle, avoiding overloading the cart beyond its seating capacity, and following traffic laws and posted speed limits.

In January, the City of Bluffton passed a golf cart safety ordinance requiring seat belts, working lights and limiting golf carts to roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less. Fire officials said it is too early to know whether the rules have reduced the number of crashes, but they call the changes a step in the right direction.