The year 1932 was special to the golfing community, but it was 30 years later that the golf cart eventually became popular. Going by the reference of a Popular Mechanics story that exists at Wikipedia, it is possible to see how the relevance of the carts has grown over time. Meanwhile, understanding the financial implications and growth of the golf cart industry is quite hard due to top secrecy as a result of the private nature of the industry.
According to Fred Somers, the secretary and general counsel for the National Golf Car Manufacturer's Association (NGCMA), the size of the industry is unclear but rough estimates at the year 2000 place the valuation at $600 million annually. Major competitors in the industry are Club Car, E-Z Go, and Yamaha, and they collectively shipped 100,000 vehicles in 2009 as indicated by Bloomberg.
Noticeably, there is a push for the use of the term golf cars instead of golf carts and the key driver to the change is the golfing community. The contention with the name cart is that it refers to something pushed to move while the reality is that the golf carts are motorized. In the absence of some industry statistics, the golf cart name will suffice.
The advancements of the golf cart are significant as can be shown by the fact that today anyone including William Stevens Jr. of Club Car would have no trouble using them as a road worthy vehicle on some roads. Thus, the privilege has extended to golf-cart communities although they can be actualized according to some state and local laws and determine the appropriate definition and eventual use of a golf cart and it driver or its driving location. Florida needs no driving license and golf carts are considered to have a thoroughgoing speed of 20 miles an hour, which is higher than the NGCMA target of 15 miles per hour. Recent developments in regulation have seen the accommodation of improved golf carts by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The same body has also supported neighborhood electric vehicles, low-speed vehicle and personal transportation vehicles to use public roads and this shows that more non-traditional vehicles will be using public roads in future.
People get old and become physically challenged in many ways such that they cannot be active as they were in youthful years. The golf cart is a cool alternative to those who have to put their driver keys away and Sun City's Paul Hermann remembered a case of a resident who could no longer use a car because of doctor's orders. He was on supplemented oxygen, yet he was allowed to move around using a golf cart for its safety features of stopping when the driver stops pressing on the accelerator (passing out while pressing on can be catastrophic).
Research findings by Gerald McGwin as a co-author of a 2008 study confirm people who should be driving cars are not any safer when driving golf carts. The statement by the professor of epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham was based on the finding that between 2002 and 2005, about 48,000 golf-related injuries with a majority being contusions, fractures and concussions arose. The findings by the professor's colleagues also noted that causalities were mainly not actively retired. They were children, teenagers and the over 80-year old. (The data in line with witness reports of younger visitors to retirement communities being thrilled by the prospect of driving golf carts.)
The American Journal of Preventive Medicine in its 2008 volume showed that from 1996 to 2006, carts became more mainstream and this corresponded to an injury rate rise of more than 130 percent. McGwin prefers to see safety regulations improved such as the provision of mandatory safety belts and the requirement for helmets for golf cart drivers. Such views will be difficult to push through as retirees are not expected to alter lifestyles of retirees, but the other concern is the mix of vehicles like the golf cart with other cars. Accidents can be catastrophic when cars hit the carts.
Lastly, Lt. Nehemiah Wolfe repressing the Sumter County sheriff's office has been doing community policing activities on golf-cart safety education. The audience at The Villages is usually several dozens, and the topic is on advice on grandchildren use of golf carts, road rules and attachment. During the monthly lectures, too much cleaning and polishing activities for golf carts as well as the use of Armor All on seats is discouraged.
Best Golf Cars in Myrtle Beach encourages senior citizens to use caution when driving a golf cart around their beach community. It can be a great alternative to the automobile if safety precautions are used.
Best Golf Cars
1400 Enterprise Ave.
Myrtle Beach, SC, 29578
Best Golf Cars – Market Common
1600 Farrow Parkway
Coventry Crossings Shopping Plaza
Myrtle Beach, SC
843-839-5225
Best Golf Cars Outlet Store
710 Seaboard Street
Myrtle Beach, SC
843-945-2272
http://bestgolfcarsmyrtlebeach.com/
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