As golf carts become increasingly popular forms of transportation, golf cart accidents have risen correspondingly.  Not only do more golf carts in use equal more golf cart accidents, but these days many golf carts can travel at significantly higher speeds than traditional golf carts found on golf courses around the country.

First, watch your speed when driving a golf cart.  You don’t have to drive the golf cart at top speed all the time.  Slow down when common sense says that the conditions warrant a slower speed.  You will have more time to react to the unexpected.  Also, just like any vehicle, it is easy to lose control of a golf cart traveling at high speed.

Don’t overload the vehicle by carrying more passengers than it was designed to carry.  The easy rule of thumb is there should be one seat for each passenger.  If your golf cart only has four seats, don’t carry more than four passengers.  Overloading a golf cart makes it difficult to control.  Both steering and braking are severely affected by an overloaded golf cart.

Keep your eyes on the road.  This should go without saying, but golf carts tend to be used in scenic areas and it is all too easy to get distracted.  A child, animal, or vehicle can jump out in front of you without warning.

Finally, be sure to keep your golf cart maintenance up to date by an experienced golf cart repair shop.  A well maintained golf cart is less likely to have blowout or other mechanical failure that could lead to an accident.