South Carolina, like many states, has fairly simple laws regarding the operation of a golf cart on city streets. The cart's owner must have a valid driver's license, and the cart may only be operated on secondary roads within two miles of the driver's home or business during daylight hours. Motivated by either general concerns or specific accidents with injuries, residents and legislators have come to believe that the law should focus more on safety.

A woman's death in early June on Hilton Head Island may have jolted some into action. The 27-year-old was a passenger in a cart driven by her boyfriend. According to police reports, she had a beer in one hand and had propped her feet on the dashboard. Her boyfriend turned left. She fell out of the cart, struck her head and died.

The Sheriff's Office ruled her death accidental, but investigators noted contributing factors: the sharp left turn and the fact that the victim was neither sitting upright, with her feet on the floor, nor holding onto the cart.

Though few and far between, there have been similar accidents in the past. One, in 2008, was linked to alcohol and drugs. In another, the victim was standing on the back of the moving cart. He says now it was entirely his fault -- he was not holding on, because he had a beer in one hand and a cigar in the other.

We'll continue this discussion and review a proposed bill in our next post.

Source: The State, "Golf cart accident raises safety concerns," Cassie Foss, 07/09/2011