Part 3: Safer Golf Cart Rides Start with Awareness

Editor’s Note: This is the third installment of a three-part series from The Citizen examining golf cart safety in Peachtree City and what the city’s decades of experience may teach Fayette County as plans move forward to expand a connected path network beyond its borders.

By the third installment of this series, The Citizen has explored Peachtree City’s higher rate of injuries in reported golf cart crashes, the personal stories behind those statistics, and the debate over whether additional laws are needed.

Regardless of where that debate ultimately lands, one question remains:

What can families do today to make their golf carts safer?

For Patti Kadkhodaian, co-owner of Golf Rider, the answer begins with awareness.

During a recent employee training session, Kadkhodaian said Assistant Chief of Police Matt Myers discussed lessons he has learned investigating golf cart crashes over the years. One message, she said, stayed with her: that in his experience, seat belts often make a significant difference in the severity of injuries.

“It’s pretty much habit in a golf cart not to wear one, because you just think, ‘Oh, that’s not a big deal,'” Kadkhodaian said. “But it is a big deal.”

She believes that mindset becomes even more important as golf carts are used less for recreation and more for transportation.

“We’re driving on roads, going 20 miles an hour, around curves and through tunnels,” she said. “People just need to be aware.”

That philosophy has changed the way Golf Rider approaches every sale.

General Manager Lee Woodruff said the dealership now recommends seat belts on every golf cart it sells, even though they are not required by law.

Virtually any golf cart can be retrofitted with lap belts, regardless of the manufacturer, for about $75 per seating position, including installation.

“The first thing they ask is, ‘Are they required?'” Woodruff said of customers considering seat belts.

When he tells them they are not, many decide to wait.

“It’s just kind of like insurance,” Woodruff said. “You can get it later, too, but do you really want to do that?”

Woodruff said education is just as important as selling accessories.

“It’s our job to educate them about things that either aren’t out there or they don’t know because of what we’ve learned,” he said.

Most personal transportation vehicles, or PTVs, that operate on Peachtree City’s path system are designed to travel at 20 mph or less. City ordinance also prohibits vehicles from exceeding 20 mph on the path system, though police have acknowledged some drivers illegally modify vehicles or otherwise exceed the limit. Woodruff said lower speeds do not eliminate the potential for serious injuries, particularly on curves or where visibility is limited.

He noted that Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs) are a different class of vehicle. Manufactured for use on public roads as well as paths, they carry vehicle identification numbers (VINs), must be registered and tagged, and come equipped with automotive-style safety equipment, including factory-installed three-point shoulder harnesses. Traditional golf carts and PTVs are built differently and typically rely on lap belts if owners choose to install them.

“You can still be going too fast for the conditions,” Woodruff said, noting that a sharp curve or limited visibility can make even legal speeds unsafe.

For families with young children, Golf Rider recommends a product many parents have never heard of.

Called the Lil Caddy, it is a child restraint system designed specifically for golf carts rather than automobiles. Intended for children weighing approximately 20 to 80 pounds, the flexible harness system can be installed on virtually any make or model of golf cart.

Unlike a traditional car seat, the Lil Caddy is designed specifically for the open seating configuration of a golf cart while securely restraining the child.

Golf Rider sells the system, installs it for customers and demonstrates how to use it properly. The product can also be purchased online, but Woodruff said many parents appreciate having the dealership handle the installation and walk them through its operation.

The dealership also recently demonstrated the Lil Caddy during a Peachtree City Police safety event, where parents could see how it works and ask questions about golf cart safety.

Woodruff hopes that kind of education helps families think differently about golf carts.

“They’re transportation,” he said. “People need to treat them that way.”

One question raised during The Citizen’s reporting remains unanswered.

Councilwoman Laura Johnson said she would want reliable research before considering additional regulations such as mandatory seat belts or child restraints.

But where would that research come from?

Peachtree City has spent decades building one of the nation’s most established golf cart transportation systems. Police have accumulated years of crash reports documenting how accidents happen and the injuries they cause. Dealerships have watched families make decisions about safety equipment. Residents have lived with golf carts as everyday transportation for generations.

Capt. Jamie McDowell said conducting a deeper analysis of those crash reports—looking for patterns that might explain why some crashes result in injuries while others do not—is beyond what his division currently has time to undertake.

Yet the information exists.

It may represent an opportunity for a university researcher, a graduate student, a public policy program, an engineering department, or even a local high school senior project to dig into the data and ask questions that could benefit not only Peachtree City, but other communities considering expanded golf cart transportation.

As Fayette County prepares to expand connected paths through the ConnectFayette initiative, the next chapter of golf cart transportation may not depend solely on new laws or new equipment. It may also depend on better understanding the experience Peachtree City has already accumulated.

If that happens, one of America’s oldest golf cart communities could become one of its most valuable classrooms.