Summer is winding down as school starts back next week. Even though it's important to enjoy these last few days of fun in the sun, it's also important to be safe - especially when operating a golf cart.
Inspector Chip Googe of the Mount Pleasant Police Department sent out community-wide notifications on Monday to the entire service area of Mount Pleasant on social media. The posts were in response to the numerous complaints Googe has been receiving on social media about improper golf cart operation.
"If you're driving a golf cart, the same rules of the road apply to that as it does as if you're behind the wheel of a car. So just to be mindful of stop signs, of pedestrian cross walks, if you have to cross the roadway, which you're allowed to do, again red lights - make sure you stop because you'll get ticketed the same way if you were driving a car," Googe said.
Googe's community announcements stated the following golf cart laws:
- A person operating a golf cart must be at least 16 years of age and have a valid driver’s license.
- A golf cart may only be operated during daylight hours and must be within 4 miles of the address on the registration certificate.
- The golf cart must have a registration certificate from the DMV and have liability insurance.
- During daylight hours a permitted golf cart may operate along a secondary highway or street for which the posted speed limit is 35 mph or less.
- During daylight hours a permitted golf cart may be operated within 4 miles of a point of ingress and egress to a gated community and only on a secondary highway or street for which the posted speed limit is 35 mph or less.
"It does seem to be during summer months that we see an increase in complaints about this. Any time I get a complaint, I will send it over to our traffic bureau and their officers to be mindful when their patrolling to look for them. With school starting back, we may see a drop and I kind of expect that because the complaints we're getting are on juveniles," Googe said.
He shared that the two laws they see the most amount of complaints about on social media are juveniles driving and erratic driving.
There is no tolerance for young children operating golf carts, even if an adult is sitting in the passenger seat. "If a citizen sees reckless driving or see a juvenile that doesn't look to be 16 that's operating, call the dispatch number so that we can send an officer out to check with them," Googe said.
The Mount Pleasant Police dispatch is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To file a report call (843) 743-7200.
"Another thing that comes up is that people asking about babies and car seats, and that type of thing and unfortunately, that law does not apply to the golf carts," Googe said. "So, babies and infants and all do not have to be in car seats, they can be held. I know we get complaints about that, people worried about babies but it's not something that the state handles within the law."
For more information on the laws pertaining to golf cart use on the roadways, watch this short video by the Mount Pleasant Police Department: https://youtu.be/21wLfdzEHMo.