Add as a preferred source on Google

Are golf carts a potential liability on campus?

  • By Troy Engel
  • 07/01/18

Golf carts are designed specifically for golf courses, but they are not street legal. Therefore, they can’t be driven on community streets. That means that many college campuses 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 using earbuds.

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 the next job can create a perfect storm for potential accidents and campus 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 lbs. Being street legal means they have seat belts, automotive-grade windshields, windshield wipers, turn signals, headlights, back-up cameras, rearview 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 campus fleet budget.

LSVs can do everything a golf cart can do and much more. Utility fleets have cargo capacities approaching 1,500 lbs. and a wide variety of customizable accessories to fit your maintenance and repair needs. Passenger versions can carry 2 to 6 people, giving you the ability to shuttle your VIPs, students, and parents taking campus tours.

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 College 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

  • FAU Starts Construction on Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building

    Florida Atlantic University recently began construction on a new academic building for its campus in Boca Raton, Fla., according to university news. The Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building will stand two stories, measure in at 22,000 square feet, and play home to the university’s Holocaust education and Jewish studies programs.

  • Texas District Finishes Construction on New Middle School, Admin Building

    The Westwood Independent School District recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Westwood Middle School and Administration Building in Palestine, Texas, according to a news release. The campus covers 106,000 square feet and has the capacity for 650 students in grades 6–8, and it will also play home to the district’s staff and administration.

  • textured paper collage shows a school building on fire as a fire truck sprays water into the flames

    Why a Fire Loss Is More than Flames

    We've all seen what fire damage can do to a property, but the types of damage building owners often encounter after a fire loss can exceed expectations. Having full awareness of the different forms of damage properties can sustain helps owners respond faster, reduce continued damage, and get back on the road to recovery in short order.

  • Pudu Robotics Launches AI-Powered, Large-Scale Floor Sweeper

    Pudu Robotics recently launched the newest member of its MT1 series of robotic floor sweepers, the PUDU MT1 Max, according to a news release. The AI-powered, 3D perception robotic sweeper was designed for use in large, complex cleaning environments both indoors and semi-outdoors, like parking garages and semi-open building atriums.

Digital Edition