Golf cart dangers off the course
When Shannon's 17 year old daughter Ashley asked about driving the family golf cart around the neighborhood with her little sister, Gabriella, 6, Shannon wasn't concerned. He trusted Ashley with the family car, so why not the golf cart. They are used a lot in his Lakeland Community.
But Gabriella, fell from the cart and died from head injuries sustained as a result of the fall.
When Wiegert finds himself unable to sleep or overwhelmed by grief, he gets on the Internet and looks for ways to keep other children from getting hurt riding on golf carts.
His internet searches revealed that there are not consistent laws, or ordinances which protect children.
"Everybody says it's somebody else's responsibility," Wiegert says.
Kristopher Seluga, a mechanical engineer and safety expert examines the dangers of golf carts. He says reading about another child injured or dying from a golf cart accidents is frustrating.
"In so many of the articles they use the term 'freak accident," he says. "It's not. It happens all the time."
In the United States every year, there are approximately 13,000 golf cart accidents that result in injuries which require the victim to be taken to an emergency room. Nearly half of the 13,000 accidents involve children under 16.
The numbers are going up. According to Seluga, golf cart use on city streets is becoming more popular. "There are a disproportionate amount of children, considering most golf carts are still used on golf courses by adults," says Seluga, who works for Technology Associates, a Connecticut based company that reconstructs accidents.
He studies golf cart accidents using golf carts fitted with child sized dummies. The study suggests that children are ejected from teh golf cart during left turns. They are more likely to fall out of the cart because of their smaller size and center of gravity. They do not have the strength to hold onto railings that help adults.
He also found in the study the the railing next on the passenger side of the golf cart acts as a fulcrum which children are ejected from a golf cart. The railing causes them to go up and over, which makes it more likely for children to fall on their heads.
Seluga is a strong supporter of the seat belt, particularly for children. He adds taht he would not allow anyone to ride in a golf cart whose feet do not reach the floorboard.
Fred Somers, lawyer and secretary for the National Golf Car Manufacturers Association believes that seatbelts in golf carts is not a good idea. "If you're strapped in a golf cart and it rolls over, you're going to be stuck and crushed to death. If you're going to have seat belts in a golf cart, you'd better have a crush-proof canopy.
