South Carolina Officials Warn Against Driving Golf Carts At Night

Of all the sports that one might play on a summer vacation, most of them are better suited to the daylight hours.  From soccer, baseball, and basketball, to paintball, beach volleyball, and swimming, all of these fun activities are only fun if you can see where you are going.  Golf is just one of the many fun things you can do in South Carolina, and like so many types of summer fun, it requires a sunny day, or at least a day that is bright enough that the sky is not covered in rainclouds.  There is plenty of fun to be had in South Carolina at night, too, as attested to by the numerous music festivals and bachelor and bachelorette parties that take place here, but these nighttime activities are only possible if you can get to them in a vehicle equipped with headlights.  All of this is to say that golf carts were designed for daytime recreation, and South Carolina laws about golf cart use reflect this fact.  If you have been injured in an accident while riding in a golf cart, contact a Columbia car accident lawyer.

South Carolina Golf Cart Dos and Don’ts

The good news is that South Carolina allows licensed drivers to drive golf carts in some other places in addition to golf courses; some palm tree-lined residential streets in South Carolina resort towns seem just perfect for riding a golf cart.  There is a reason that you do not see golf carts driving on I-95, though.  The law allows you to drive golf carts on “secondary roads.”  These are roads open to vehicular traffic, but where the speed limit is low and where 18-wheeler trucks do not drive.  If the speed limit on a road is faster than your golf cart is capable of traveling, then you should not drive your golf cart there.  Likewise, it is only legal to drive a golf cart during daylight hours.  This means that, during Daylight Savings Time, you may drive a golf cart between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

What Happens If You Get Into a Collision in Your Golf Cart

With regard to car accident law, South Carolina is a comparative fault state, which means that each driver bears a percentage of the fault.  Your share of fault reduces the amount of money you can get from an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit, but it does not stop you from collecting a settlement or judgment.  Therefore, if you get into an accident with your golf cart, you can get a bigger insurance payout if you were following all the laws related to driving golf carts in South Carolina.

Let Us Help You Today

The car accident lawyers at the Stanley Law Group can help you resolve disputes related to collisions between a car and a golf cart or a pedestrian and a golf cart.  Contact The Stanley Law Group in Columbia, South Carolina or call (803)799-4700 for a free initial consultation.

Source:

wpde.com/news/local/officials-golf-carts-not-allowed-on-south-carolina-north-myrtle-beach-roads-after-daylight-hours