Kids Are Getting Hurt by Golf Carts More Than Ever

In a lot of ways, kids in America are safer than ever. But apparently, golf carts didn’t get the memo. New research this week finds that pediatric golf cart injuries are on the rise.

Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia conducted the study, which analyzed golf cart injuries that sent children and young adults to the emergency room. They found that these injuries had increased in recent years, with almost half involving children under the age of 12. More needs to be done to beat back the golf cart menace, the researchers say.

“The growing trend of golf cart use in residential areas, alongside the increased frequency of children driving and riding these vehicles, correlates with a concerning rise in both the number and variety of childhood golf cart injuries,” said study author Theodore Ganley, director of the Sports Medicine and Performance Center at CHOP, in a statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The findings are being presented over the weekend at AAP’s national conference.

Why and how kids are getting hurt by golf carts

The researchers pored through the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a database of injuries treated at hospital emergency departments across the country. The data is intended to be nationally representative, so scientists often use it to gauge how many Americans are hurt by specific products or specific causes of injury.

They examined NEISS data between 2010 and 2023, focusing on golf cart-related injuries among children and young adults (aged 22 and younger). They counted 1,419 cases during that period—amounting to an estimated 53,855 such injuries nationwide during that period. On average, they estimated that around 3,800 golf cart injuries occurred annually, but they also found that these injuries had increased consistently during the past three years.

The average age of a golf cart victim was 11, and 90% of those hurt were boys. Roughly half of the injuries were caused by someone falling from the cart, while 36% involved a collision or cart overturning. Kids were most often hurt along the head, face, or neck, while half of all injuries were deemed superficial.

Notably, other research has suggested that the trend of rising golf cart injuries in general dates back to the early 2000s.

What to do

The authors say their findings highlight the “inadequacy of robust safety features and the deficits in standard regulations.” But, leaving aside the possibility of waging a massive public campaign to dissuade kids from golf, that should also mean there’s plenty that can be done to reduce these injuries.

Golf carts could be better designed to handle sharp corners, for instance, or to be less prone to tumbling over in general. Policy and lawmakers could also pass laws and regulations to encourage better safety.

Some places have already started to do the latter. Just this year, South Carolina implemented a law requiring children under 12 to wear a seat belt when inside these vehicles on public roads. In 2023, Florida also began to require that teens have a permit or license to drive a cart (previously, kids as young as 14 could drive without any license at all).

The researchers also say that people should be made more aware of the potential dangers of golf carts.

“Our findings highlight the urgent need for increased awareness and attention to these injuries among children and demonstrate the crucial role of education on safe golf cart operation,” Ganley said.