Golf carts serve as a convenient way to not only play nine or 18 holes of golf on a hot summer day but also to get around in one’s community. In fact, here in Florida, and within The Villages in particular, golf carts are a common sight and regularly used for commuting short distances, and are allowed on public streets. The Villages has an extensive golf-cart-specific path network with over 90 miles of paved paths, according to Villages News. The downside of using a golf cart is their lack of safety design and crash protection technology. As they are not mandated by The Villages golf cart requirements, most do not have seat belts, roll cages, or airbags. As such, severe injuries and even death can and regularly occur in incidents involving single-vehicle golf cart collisions, as well as collisions involving motor vehicles (see our page on how often do golf cart accidents occur?).
If you were injured in a golf cart accident in The Villages, or are found in violation of golf cart laws in Florida, call the best golf cart attorney near you in The Villages today at the Glover Law Firm for help.
The Villages Golf Cart Rules and Public Roads
Speed limits and other golf cart rules in The Villages, FL are generally well-marked at golf clubs and on golf cart paths, and these must be obeyed. However, in The Villages, golf cart rules on public roads, are usually less understood. In counties and cities where golf carts are allowed to operate on public roads, the following rules under Florida statute 316.212 and Florida Statute 316.2126 must be obeyed:
- The minimum age to operate a golf cart is now at least 15 years old with a learner’s permit or 16 years old with a driver’s license, but only on low-speed roads and only if the top speed of the golf cart is under 20 miles per hour;
- Drivers operating a golf cart on a public road with a speed limit above 20 miles per hour, or driving a golf cart with a maximum speed between 20 and 25 miles per hour, must have a valid driver’s license (and be 16 or older);
- Golf carts can only be operated from sunrise to sunset unless a municipality has granted night driving rights to golf carts with front and rear lights;
- Golf carts can only be driven on public residential roads with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or less;
- Golf carts can be driven on public state roads with speed limits of 30 miles per hour or less;
- Golf carts are allowed to cross state highways and state roads with various conditions;
- Golf carts can be operated on sidewalks adjacent to state highways only when the sidewalk is five feet wide or wider (and must give right of way to pedestrians).
Have Questions About The Villages Golf Cart Requirements?
Contact a golf cart injury attorney near you today at Glover Law by calling (352) 205-4495 or email us to schedule a free consultation when you have questions about golf cart rules in The Villages. Close to 150,000 golf cart injury patients are treated in emergency department visits annually, according to research published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Injuries range from broken limbs, fractured skulls, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injuries, to whiplash, lacerations, and other soft tissue injuries such as torn ligaments and contusions.
If you are the victim of a golf cart injury crash, have questions about Florida golf cart insurance requirements, modified golf carts, or if you need legal representation to cover the costs of your injuries and other damages, call The Villages personal injury lawyers near you at the Glover Law Firm today!
Not in The Villages? We also have top-rated golf cart accident lawyers in Ocala to help you stay in compliance with the local Ocala golf cart ordinance.