Golf carts are becoming increasingly more popular in residential neighborhoods across the country, sparking fury amongst some residents.
The new craze is seeing Americans across the country ditching their vehicles for short errands, opting instead for the carts.
Carts specifically designed for the road have been around since the early 2000s, with demand soaring in the past five years, according to the Wall Street Journal reported.
Street-ready versions typically come equipped with seat belts, headlights and turn signals, but residents of some communities have expressed their unhappiness over their presence.
In a Nashville focused Reddit thread, the topic stirred debate. On the thread, entitled ‘When did we decide golf carts were fine for the roads?’, one resident said: ‘They are a plague in my neighborhood.’
‘When wealthy people started to consider them fashionable,’ another said. ‘It’s the same crowd that would have called 911 when they saw kids driving a big wheel down to the clear 10 years ago.’
A user noted that they had heard them being referred to as ‘neighborhood electric vehicles’ that cropped up in 2008 ‘as a greener way to reduce traffic for short distances.’
But the movement has residents frustrated by their presence in traffic and started raising safety concerns.
Americans across the country are ditching their cars for short errands in favor of golf carts, but the craze has raised concerns
A Florida resident is seen here driving his golf cart down main street in The Villages in 2024
‘Seriously. I was driving down Belmont Boulevard and some dad had his two little kids (like 3-5yrs max age) in the front seat of a golf cart with no freaking seat belt on (maybe there was a lap belt, but still wasn’t safe at all)-just cruising in with regular traffic,’ another wrote.
One said they had seen them ‘all the time’ in the Nolensville and Brentwood neighborhoods.
They added: ’98 percent of the time it’s a dad with his kids and I just assume he’s a f***ing d**** trying to justify the purchase of a golf cart to his wife by using it as much as possible because 80 percent of the time there’s no wife.’
Paul Ernest, a photographer in Texas, told the WSJ: ‘These things are dangerous They’re around vehicles much bigger than they are, and when they’re operated by children with no adult supervision, it’s just a recipe for disaster.’
He recalled spotting a young woman driving around in a golf cart with her eyes glued to her phone before nearly colliding with a pickup truck.
In Ohio, a 45-year-old missing man was found dead on Sunday which marked the second body found in the Atwood Lake area after a mother crashed a golf cart into the lake with some of her children on board.
Authorities reported that the mom had made concerning statements about talking to God at the time of the crash and has since been hospitalized for mental health concerns, WTOV 9 reported.
One comment on Reddit said they, ‘love them on the side roads,’ and noted that they were ‘flexible, small. They keep big vehicles off the road’
The problem isn’t only affecting Nashville. In Elburn, Illinois, a petition garnered over 600 signatures to legalize golf carts on local roads
But not everyone thinks the rising trend is an issue.
One comment on the Reddit thread said they, ‘love them on the side roads,’ and noted that they were ‘flexible, small. They keep big vehicles off the road.’
Another wrote: ‘We have one. It allows us to have one car instead of two. It’s really fun and nice for driving around the neighborhood.’
The problem isn’t only affecting Nashville. In Elburn, Illinois, a petition garnered over 600 signatures to legalize golf carts on local roads, WSJ reported. The village board voted against the proposal.
Resident Melissa Bollivar, who helped gather the signatures, told the outlet that she disagreed with their decision.
‘You have a seat belt on,’ she said. ‘You have rearview mirrors. You have a frame around you. I feel they’re safer than e-bikes and scooters and everything else flying around here.’
Users have expressed their disdain for the carts on Reddit, while others backed their presence
A user from rural Missouri said that ‘preteens, kids, and adults who lost their license drive these (or lawn mowers) to go get ice cream or go to fast food’
A St. Louis Reddit thread brought the issue to light after the original poster complained of almost hitting a golf cart that ‘ran a red light.’
‘It’s almost as if they think that the laws of both traffic and physics don’t apply to them,’ they said.
‘In my neighborhood, parents let their pre-teens drive them around. It’s scary, and someone will eventually get hurt,’ one user responded.
Another who lived in St. Louis Hills said the issue was ‘rampant’, saying: ‘I drove slow in the neighborhood but almost hit a car loaded with tweens as they rocketed up the alley without stopping at the intersecting street.’
In Georgia, 62-year-old Cynthia Mackin was arrested for drunkenly driving a golf cart and killing her 59-year-old husband, Daniel Mackin.
According to investigators, Daniel lost his grip and struck his head on the concrete as the cart traveled along a sidewalk.
He was rushed to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital – 11 miles from the course – where he later died.
According to investigators, Daniel lost his grip and struck his head on the concrete as the cart, seen here, traveled along a sidewalk
One comment recalled seeing a father with his wife and daughter driving around in a golf cart that ‘whipped out in front of me like he forgot he wasn’t driving his BMW’
A user from rural Missouri said that ‘preteens, kids, and adults who lost their license drive these (or lawn mowers) to go get ice cream or go to fast food.’
‘I cannot explain to y’all how mad it makes me because all I can think is that these kids are one bad driver away from being a smudge on pavement. There’s no seatbelts on them, no airbags, nothing. If a car hits one of these, even 20 mph, someone’s either maimed or killed and it’s NOT the people in the car,’ they added.
Another said that they had even seen people in their neighborhood ‘holding a baby on their lap or in one arm while driving the golf cart.’
In Florida, one resident said it had become ‘very fashionable’ and they had ‘no problem with it’ but also noted safety concerns.
‘Mostly millennial age folks with kids. I have no problem with it, but it doesn’t seem safe. Nothing separating you from the grill of an oncoming truck,’ they said.
But one user believes the time will come for reality to hit, they wrote: ‘Most people don’t know that golf carts, while on roadways and streets, do not have liability coverage under the homeowners policy. If the golf cart operator is at fault for an accident, it is going to be a financial eye-opener.’
One comment recalled seeing a father with his wife and daughter driving around in a golf cart that ‘whipped out in front of me like he forgot he wasn’t driving his BMW.’
They added: ‘His wife and daughter in the back were waving their arms at me like DON’T HIT US DON’T HIT US.’
