Why Are Golf Carts A Potential Liability On Campus?

Golf carts are designed specifically for golf courses, and while they do a great job in their element, they are not street legal. Therefore, they can’t be driven on community streets. That means that many larger campuses and districts have their golf carts driving down streets illegally. This leaves the only option of driving on sidewalks where they are a liability to distracted students who are rushing from class to class, texting their friends, or blaring the music in their headphones.

Students belong on sidewalks and motor vehicles belong on streets. With hundreds to thousands of distracted students, golf carts whizzing down the sidewalk in a rush to get to their next job can create a perfect storm for potential accidents and liabilities.

Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs) are street legal, motorized vehicles that are limited to 25 mph and have a maximum gross vehicle weight of 3,000 pounds. Being street legal means they have seat belts, automotive grade windshields, windshield wipers, turn signals, headlights, back-up cameras, rear view mirrors, side view mirrors, SAE test-certified roofs, all-forward facing seats, etc. A majority of LSVs are also 100-percent electric, making them more environmentally friendly and sustainable for the district fleet budget.

LSVs can also do everything a golf cart can do and much more. Utility fleets have cargo capacities approaching 1,500 pounds, and a wide variety of customizable accessories to fit your maintenance and repair needs. Passenger versions can carry two to six people, giving you the ability to shuttle people around campus.

As fleet managers are evaluating their fleet composition and making regular vehicle replacement purchases, think safety first and consider an all-electric LSV option.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management July/August 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Troy Engel is the marketing specialist Polaris Industries – GEM. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • i-PRO, NovoTrax Partner for New School Emergency Response Solution

    i-PRO Americas, Inc., which manufactures edge computing cameras, recently announced a partnership with NovoTrax, provider of end-to-end life safety and mass notification solutions, to address gaps in emergency response workflows at K–12 schools, according to a news release.

  • K–12 Safety Trends Report Reveals Reliance on Training, Technology

    Wearable safety technology provider CENTEGIX recently released its 2025 School Safety Trends Report, according to a news release. The report is based on more than 265,000 incidents during the 2024–25 school year as reported through the CENTEGIX Safety Platform, used by more than 800 school districts across the U.S.

  • Elevating Campus Maintenance: How Power Wash Drones are Transforming Educational Facilities

    As today’s campuses grow larger and more architecturally complex, keeping exteriors clean, safe, and inviting has never been tougher. Facilities leaders are under constant pressure to stretch budgets, meet safety standards, and support sustainability goals—all while tackling the stubborn challenge of exterior cleaning.

  • University of Southern Mississippi Starts Construction on Oyster Hatchery

    The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) recently announced that construction has begun on a new oyster hatchery at its Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center (TCMAC) Cedar Point campus in Ocean Springs, Miss., according to a news release.

Digital Edition