The Overlooked Vehicle Behind Thousands of Injuries Every Year

Golf carts are one of those vehicles most people never give a second thought. They drift quietly along golf courses, through resort paths, and down neighborhood streets, carrying families, retirees, and teens who use them like oversized toys. With their open sides, low speeds, and friendly appearance, they feel harmless, almost quaint. But behind that wholesome exterior lies a growing safety problem that has quietly sent thousands of Americans to the emergency room every year.

A recent analysis of national golf cart injury data reveals a decade-long rise in the number of people harmed in these surprisingly dangerous crashes. From fractures and concussions to rollovers and alcohol-related incidents, the numbers tell a different story than the easygoing image golf carts project. And whether you’ve seen them weaving through beach towns or parked outside neighborhood cul-de-sacs, their expanding role in everyday transportation is part of the issue.

This overlooked vehicle has become central to a hidden injury trend, one that’s far more widespread than most people realize.

How Golf Carts Became a Neighborhood Staple

Golf carts were once confined to the fairways. Today, they’ve become part of the culture in master-planned communities, retirement villages, beach towns, and even college campuses. For many people, they’ve replaced short car trips, becoming convenient ways to shuttle groceries, visit neighbors, or move around community events.

But this popularity has a downside. Golf carts were never designed for the kinds of surfaces or speeds people now use them for. They lack the safety features modern cars take for granted, airbags, crumple zones, reinforced frames, and often come without seat belts. Their lightweight, open sides, and high center of gravity make them prone to instability, especially with multiple passengers.

What feels like a slow, safe ride around the neighborhood is actually a setup for injuries that look more like ATV or low-speed vehicle crashes than casual transportation mishaps.

What the Data Shows: A Decade of Rising Injuries

One of the most surprising findings in the national data is just how many people end up in emergency rooms each year because of golf cart incidents. Roughly 23,000 people annually are treated for golf cart-related injuries, and over the last decade, these numbers have steadily risen.

The majority of incidents aren’t fatal, but that doesn’t make them mild. More than 80% of injured individuals require medical evaluation and treatment, and about 13% are admitted to the hospital. Fractures account for nearly a quarter of all injuries, followed by contusions, lacerations, sprains, and concussions. Head injuries, often associated with ejections, are particularly alarming.

Even though the carts themselves seem unintimidating, the damage they cause is anything but.

The Most Surprising Group Getting Hurt

When most people picture golf cart drivers, they imagine older adults or golfers moving between holes. But the data shows a different reality: 12- to 16-year-olds represent the largest group of people injured in golf cart incidents.

There are several reasons for this. In many communities, teens use golf carts as low-stakes transportation or as a fun activity with friends. Without seat belts and with open cabins, it doesn’t take much, a tight turn, a bump in the pavement, a moment of inattention, for young passengers to be thrown from the vehicle.

In one reported case, a teen riding as a passenger was ejected during a sharp corner, suffering a fractured leg upon impact. Another teen lost balance during a sudden turn and slammed against the side frame, leading to a severe contusion.

Parents often assume golf carts are safer than bicycles, scooters, or skateboards. The data suggests the opposite: golf carts combine the instability of a light recreational vehicle with the illusion of being harmless.

Rollover Physics and Why Golf Carts Fail So Badly on Turns

A big part of the danger comes from the physics of the carts themselves. Golf carts have:

• a high center of gravity,
• a narrow wheelbase,
• minimal side protection, and
• steering systems not meant for quick turns.

This creates the perfect recipe for rollovers, especially when drivers take corners faster than the cart’s design allows. Ejections are incredibly common, because nothing keeps passengers inside the vehicle. Even low-speed rollovers can throw riders several feet from the cart.

Alcohol also plays a role. Around 7% of all golf cart incidents involve alcohol, and they tend to result in more severe injuries. One case in the data involved an older adult who had been drinking, lost control of her cart, and crashed into a tree. She suffered a fracture and a deep leg laceration, injuries requiring immediate medical attention.

The combination of perceived safety and physical instability makes golf carts more dangerous than many riders expect.

Where People Get Hurt Most: Head, Trunk, and Limbs

The injury patterns in golf cart crashes reflect exactly what happens when people are thrown from an open vehicle.

Head Injuries (over 25%)

Many crashes lead to head trauma, concussions, skull fractures, and in some cases, long-term brain injury. Several real-world reports describe passengers being ejected and striking pavement headfirst.

Lower Trunk and Leg Injuries (8–9% each)

These injuries often result from the body twisting or collapsing during ejections, or from limbs striking the ground or the cart frame.

Fractures (25%)

The single most common injury. Arms, wrists, ankles, and legs are especially vulnerable.

What looks like a “simple fall” often becomes a complex injury due to the force and angle of impact.

Why These Injuries Keep Happening

Golf carts keep causing injuries for a few core reasons:

• People underestimate the risk. The slow speed masks the danger.
• Lack of safety regulations. Many communities treat carts as recreational items, not motor vehicles.
• Passengers don’t stay inside the cabin. No seat belts + open sides = easy ejection.
• Teens drive carts unsupervised. In environments with mild rules or oversight.
• Risky turning and overcrowding. Multiple kids standing or sitting on the edges, hanging legs out, etc.

These factors combine to create a pattern of preventable accidents that feel “random” only until you look at the national numbers.

What Communities Can Do Better

Communities that embrace golf cart culture don’t need to give it up, but small changes can make a big difference:

• Encourage installing seat belts on carts
• Set clear rules about who can operate a cart
• Add signs in golf cart–heavy neighborhoods
• Use designated paths instead of public roads
• Educate parents about the risks for young teens
• Encourage slowing down on turns or uneven ground

Golf carts can be safe, but only when people stop treating them like toys.

A Small Vehicle With a Big Safety Problem

Golf carts may look harmless, but the national data shows a different picture: year after year, thousands of people suffer injuries that are as serious as any other motor-vehicle crash. Understanding these trends and the human factors behind them helps highlight just how preventable many of these incidents are.