If you own a golf cart for personal use, proper insurance coverage often extends beyond your homeowners’ policy.
On July 4, 2016, a 16-year-old girl was driving her uncle’s golf cart around his Florida neighborhood with four other children. She drove through a stop sign and was hit by a car. Everyone in the golf cart was injured, including a 12-year-old boy who sustained a lifelong traumatic brain injury. After the accident, the boy’s parents sued both the driver (the 16-year-old girl) and the owner of the golf cart (her uncle). The court ruled that as the golf cart owner, the uncle breached his duty of reasonable care and was negligent in letting his niece drive the golf cart. The jury awarded the boy’s parents over $50,000,000.
Is your golf cart properly insured?
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help ensure your golf cart is covered.
- If you live in a community, does the community have rules related to golf cart use?
- What are the rules of your state related to golf cart use and liability?
- Is your golf cart “street-legal”, meaning is it registered for street use?
- If you have insurance on your golf cart, which policies (i.e. homeowners’, auto, umbrella) cover it?
- If it’s only covered by a homeowner’s policy, you may not be covered if the golf cart is used outside of your property line.
- If it’s covered by an auto policy, who are the covered drivers?
- If you have an umbrella insurance policy, is your golf cart listed?
The Risks of Having an Uninsured Golf Cart
Community golf cart use has become very popular in recent years. In Florida, retirement communities are common and the popular form of transportation within them are golf carts. Then the grandkids come down for the holidays and see them as a fun joyride.
As we saw in the case above, careless management of personal golf carts can be a very expensive problem. Owning a golf cart comes with its own inherent risks, and those risks only increase when others are allowed to operate it. Golf cart insurance, like all insurance, can help ensure that you’re covered if the unthinkable were to happen.
So remember, if you own a golf cart for personal use, proper insurance coverage often extends beyond a homeowners’ policy. Check with your insurance agent to make sure you have adequate insurance. And understand that as the owner, your liability stays with you regardless of who is behind the wheel.
