Golf cart-related injuries in young children on the rise, physicians say

TAMPA, Fla. - Emergency medicine physicians at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital say they've seen an increase in golf cart-related injuries among young children.

"Usually, it's tipping over where there's a sharp turn or hitting a curb. Usually, it's that kind of injury and the golf cart tips over and the child either hits the ground or gets crushed by the roof most of the time. And that's what we've typically seen," Dr. Wassam Rahman said.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, golf carts are vehicles, "not capable of exceeding speeds of 20 miles per hour." They can, however, be converted to low-speed vehicles, which have different rules and must be registered, titled and insured.

More than 6,500 children are injured by golf carts each year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Just over half of those injuries involve kids 12 and under.

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Injuries can range from cuts to broken bones to severe head trauma.

"About 75% of the injuries are head injuries," Rahman said of the golf cart-related injuries his hospital sees. "And some are quite significant, too."

As it stands now, Florida law allows 14-year-olds to drive golf carts on designated public roadways.

Starting Oct. 1, House Bill 949 will require 15-year-olds to have a learner's permit, 16-year-olds to have a driver's license; and 18-year-olds to have a government-issued ID to drive golf carts on public roads.

"Well, I think it's good. It's a step in the right direction," Rahman said. "But I think the person who is allowing the person to drive the golf cart is accountable."