NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Brentwood police issued a safety alert on the usage of golf carts and the rules of the road for what is allowed and what is not.
The department reported there is a difference between a traditional golf cart and a low-speed vehicle. Golf carts are not permitted on the road while low-speed vehicles can be titled and registered and are sometimes modified golf carts.
“A low speed vehicle meets a lot of the requirements that any other vehicle on the roadway would meet. They have headlights, taillights, turn signals, mirrors, they’re registered vehicles through the state of Tennessee. And they also have seatbelts, they have the safety features that are required for a vehicle to be on the roadway,” explained Brentwood Police Department Assistant Chief Jim Colvin.
Brentwood police issued the safety reminder due to what officers are currently seeing on the road, including an increase of children operating the vehicles.
“Children should never be driving a golf cart to the neighborhood pool or a friends house. Golf carts are not a safe mode of transportation for children, because they don’t have the requisite motor skills, knowledge, or judgment that is essential for driving. Not to mention, golf carts are not easily seen and certainly not expected by other drivers to be on the roadway.”
“I think we really saw an increase when a lot of businesses were shut down a couple of years ago. And so once businesses started shutting down, there weren’t concerts and ballgames and things to go to, I think people invested more in activities that they could do around their house in their neighborhood,” said Officer Colvin.
More and more people are modifying and registering golf carts. Brentwood police wants to remind residents low speed vehicles are only permitted on roads with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or less.
Police also stress golf carts and low-speed vehicles can be dangerous due to the open nature of the vehicle.