Golf Cart Seatbelts

Closed Thread
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 11-26-2018, 12:01 PM
Rapscallion St Croix's Avatar
Rapscallion St Croix Rapscallion St Croix is offline
Platinum member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Former Villager living in Hilton Head, SC
Posts: 1,790
Thanks: 19
Thanked 713 Times in 263 Posts
Default Golf Cart Seatbelts

I read about golf cart fatalities and the last line is usually, "Victim was not wearing a seat belt."

Can anyone point me to an example where the driver or passenger of a golf cart involved in a serious accident were not injured because they were wearing a seat belt?
__________________
Black Sabbath Matters
  #2  
Old 11-26-2018, 05:00 PM
EdFNJ EdFNJ is offline
Sage
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 4,383
Thanks: 1,375
Thanked 3,094 Times in 1,336 Posts
Default

There probably would be no example since he (in your example) was wearing a seatbelt and wasn't killed. If there is no blood there is no news.
  #3  
Old 11-27-2018, 05:32 AM
simpilot simpilot is offline
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 61
Thanks: 1
Thanked 5 Times in 4 Posts
Default

Just about any rollover accident when the driver/passenger was not ejected, and there are thousands of such accidents. A Case for Golf Cart Seat Belts in The Villages | Inside The Bubble
  #4  
Old 11-27-2018, 07:37 AM
ColdNoMore ColdNoMore is offline
Sage
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Between 466 & 466A
Posts: 10,509
Thanks: 82
Thanked 1,507 Times in 677 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by simpilot View Post
Just about any rollover accident when the driver/passenger was not ejected, and there are thousands of such accidents. A Case for Golf Cart Seat Belts in The Villages | Inside The Bubble
Yep.


And why would something that didn't happen, i.e. a non-injury because a seat belt kept an occupant from being thrown out on their head...ever make the news anyway?
  #5  
Old 11-27-2018, 08:40 AM
JoelJohnson JoelJohnson is offline
Veteran member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Lady Lake, FL
Posts: 879
Thanks: 672
Thanked 442 Times in 205 Posts
Default

I use my seat belt all the time. If nothing else, at least they'll find the body . But, really, they can only help. Well most of the time. I saw a woman passenger with a child in her lap and the seat belt around both of them. Now think about physics, if the golf cart hits a curb, or someone hits them, the seat belt will stop the child, but the woman will keep going. What do you think will happen to that child?
  #6  
Old 11-27-2018, 09:33 AM
billethkid's Avatar
billethkid billethkid is offline
Sage
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,459
Thanks: 0
Thanked 4,743 Times in 1,383 Posts
Default

Somewhat related....I see as many wearing as not.
Of those wearing they usually have the belt way above their belly button. Usual recommendation is to place the belt low across the hips to avoid organ injury.
  #7  
Old 11-27-2018, 11:04 AM
Goldwingnut's Avatar
Goldwingnut Goldwingnut is offline
Platinum member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Village of Hillsborough
Posts: 1,614
Thanks: 2,329
Thanked 3,475 Times in 703 Posts
Default

While I agree with the concept of seatbelts and increased safety for golf carts here in The Villages, the current implementations are, in my opinion, both lacking and dangerous.

In my working life I had dealings with the automotive interiors portion of the company I worked for, they designed and built the interiors for multiple brands (Ford, GM, Honda, Nissan, etc.). Millions of dollars were spent every year on safety research and development including active and passive restraint systems (seatbelts and air bags).

Much work is done on determining the location and sizing of the restraint systems, release system, mounting systems, as well as the overall interior volume and construction of the vehicle and how all of these are related to occupant safety and survivability. Thousand of hours of testing and retesting of these system were performed every year to ensure adequate strength, restraint, and survivability. Much of this is mandated by laws and safety regulations and in no small part by lawyers defending the manufacturers of these system.

So here we have in The Villages seatbelts being installed in to golf carts. Are they the correct size for the vehicle and seating arrangement? Are they mounted to a structure capable of and designed to absorb the kinetic energy to be experienced at a specific design of impact that would be experienced? Do they provide protection for front, rear, and side impact collisions? For a fall over or a roll over? Is the fastening hardware of proven strength for the intended usage? Based on personal observations of the seatbelts I've seen installed in golf carts in the last 4+ years, the answers to all of these questions appears to be, NO.

We've grown accustom to having to put on our seatbelts in a car and have a reasonable expectation of both performance and safety that they provide. The take away for all the comments I've read on this and the other website is that many people seem to have the same expectations for seatbelts being installed in their golf carts. The lack of engineering and design of what is being passed of as a safety feature in golf carts would, in my mind, clearly indicate that quite the opposite case is true.

I like the idea of additional safety features in a golf cart, the risks are real and in some cases fatal, but I don't believe what is being passed off currently is either adequate or safe. I believe in being safe, I ALWAYS wear my seatbelt in the car or truck, I ALWAYS wear a helmet when I ride my motorcycle (full face SNELL/DOT certified not the $5 salad bowl some people wear, if any), but when I get into my golf carts I feel more at risk and vulnerable than in/on any other vehicle.

There are no safety standards or regulations for seatbelts in golf carts that I could find, if established there will be additional costs passed along to the consumers to implement; justified but not easily accepted by buyers. At this point my golf cart's best safety feature is between my ears and driving safely, defensively, attentively, and in full control of my facilities (no booze or meds). The best thing I could say about the current seatbelts being installed is that they make finding the bodies easier.
__________________
Don Wiley
GoldWingNut (a motorcycle enthusiast not a gilded fastener)
Village of Hillsborough
www.goldwingnut.com
YouTube –YouTube.com/GoldWingnut and YouTube.com/GoldWingnutProductions
Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero
Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. - Thomas Paine, 1/10/1776
  #8  
Old 11-27-2018, 11:31 AM
Challenger's Avatar
Challenger Challenger is offline
Soaring Eagle member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,264
Thanks: 56
Thanked 369 Times in 162 Posts
Default

My only expectation is that the belt will mitigate some degree of trauma, when an incident occurs. In a golf cart , hitting a pot hole or curb can easily throw passengers out. Several deaths already attributed to this . In fact a sharp turn can send you flying.
__________________
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" Edmund Burke 1729-1797
  #9  
Old 11-27-2018, 11:39 AM
eweissenbach's Avatar
eweissenbach eweissenbach is offline
Sage
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Smithville (Kansas City) Mo./ LaBelle North
Posts: 4,566
Thanks: 112
Thanked 726 Times in 225 Posts
Send a message via AIM to eweissenbach
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Challenger View Post
My only expectation is that the belt will mitigate some degree of trauma, when an incident occurs. In a golf cart , hitting a pot hole or curb can easily throw passengers out. Several deaths already attributed to this . In fact a sharp turn can send you flying.
I agree! I have a rear facing seat in the back of my cart. I think it would be malpractice for me to allow people riding there to not wear their seatbelts. If I had to make a sudden stop to avoid an accident, without belts they may well be thrown back into traffic, or the pavement.
__________________
Oldcoach Ed
"You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails" "Be yourself - everyone else is taken"
  #10  
Old 11-27-2018, 11:40 AM
JoMar JoMar is offline
Sage
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 4,813
Thanks: 10
Thanked 2,302 Times in 865 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Goldwingnut View Post
While I agree with the concept of seatbelts and increased safety for golf carts here in The Villages, the current implementations are, in my opinion, both lacking and dangerous.

In my working life I had dealings with the automotive interiors portion of the company I worked for, they designed and built the interiors for multiple brands (Ford, GM, Honda, Nissan, etc.). Millions of dollars were spent every year on safety research and development including active and passive restraint systems (seatbelts and air bags).

Much work is done on determining the location and sizing of the restraint systems, release system, mounting systems, as well as the overall interior volume and construction of the vehicle and how all of these are related to occupant safety and survivability. Thousand of hours of testing and retesting of these system were performed every year to ensure adequate strength, restraint, and survivability. Much of this is mandated by laws and safety regulations and in no small part by lawyers defending the manufacturers of these system.

So here we have in The Villages seatbelts being installed in to golf carts. Are they the correct size for the vehicle and seating arrangement? Are they mounted to a structure capable of and designed to absorb the kinetic energy to be experienced at a specific design of impact that would be experienced? Do they provide protection for front, rear, and side impact collisions? For a fall over or a roll over? Is the fastening hardware of proven strength for the intended usage? Based on personal observations of the seatbelts I've seen installed in golf carts in the last 4+ years, the answers to all of these questions appears to be, NO.

We've grown accustom to having to put on our seatbelts in a car and have a reasonable expectation of both performance and safety that they provide. The take away for all the comments I've read on this and the other website is that many people seem to have the same expectations for seatbelts being installed in their golf carts. The lack of engineering and design of what is being passed of as a safety feature in golf carts would, in my mind, clearly indicate that quite the opposite case is true.

I like the idea of additional safety features in a golf cart, the risks are real and in some cases fatal, but I don't believe what is being passed off currently is either adequate or safe. I believe in being safe, I ALWAYS wear my seatbelt in the car or truck, I ALWAYS wear a helmet when I ride my motorcycle (full face SNELL/DOT certified not the $5 salad bowl some people wear, if any), but when I get into my golf carts I feel more at risk and vulnerable than in/on any other vehicle.

There are no safety standards or regulations for seatbelts in golf carts that I could find, if established there will be additional costs passed along to the consumers to implement; justified but not easily accepted by buyers. At this point my golf cart's best safety feature is between my ears and driving safely, defensively, attentively, and in full control of my facilities (no booze or meds). The best thing I could say about the current seatbelts being installed is that they make finding the bodies easier.
While I understand your position I think it'a a bit naive. Your safety position assumes that you can control your entire driving environment....which you can't. I agree that the seat belts aren't going to be the salvation, if they help a little bit they are worth it. There are cart drivers out there that cross the center lines on the MMP's as they reach for their phone or their drink. That can (and does) happen before you can react. Ejection from any vehicle in an accident isn't safer than being restrained if it is a weakened restraint. When the medics arrive at accidents the injuries usually are a result of ejections. Nothing will help you when you have a car involved (which is where I agree with your defensive driving coments) but hitting curbs, other carts, speed bumps or getting off the paths is where a restraint can be helpful. To each his own, but I will not drive a cart without being in a belt.
__________________
No one believes the truth when the lie is more interesting

Berks County Pennsylvania
  #11  
Old 11-27-2018, 07:28 PM
Topspinmo's Avatar
Topspinmo Topspinmo is online now
Sage
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow
Posts: 12,164
Thanks: 6,271
Thanked 4,845 Times in 2,404 Posts
Default

I use my seat belt so the cart will hit the ground first, I may also hit the ground but the golf cart won’t be coming down on top of me. I still could hit the curb with my head and die but, the odds are in my favor wearing seat belt. Odds are also I won’t roll out in to oncoming traffic and get killed by secondary accident surviving the first one.

Think about??? Was that long to get you to wear seatbelt?
  #12  
Old 11-27-2018, 07:41 PM
Arlington2 Arlington2 is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 128
Thanks: 1
Thanked 84 Times in 35 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Challenger View Post
In fact a sharp turn can send you flying.
YES! YES! YES!!! I have personal experience with this and only by the grace of God the injury to the passenger turned out to relatively minor after a visit to the ER. An instant of distraction can turn into a tragedy.
  #13  
Old 11-27-2018, 09:35 PM
twoplanekid's Avatar
twoplanekid twoplanekid is offline
Platinum member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: born Urbana,Il lived in Urbana Ohio for 65 years a house in Lake Deaton
Posts: 1,977
Thanks: 6
Thanked 683 Times in 280 Posts
Default

Good points for wearing a seat belt in golf carts found in this Nov. 2018 article from Inside the Bubble ->Dropbox - A-Case-for-Golf-Cart-Seat-Belts-in-The-Villages-Inside-The-Bubble (1).pdf

Last edited by twoplanekid; 11-27-2018 at 09:41 PM.
  #14  
Old 11-28-2018, 08:30 AM
JoelJohnson JoelJohnson is offline
Veteran member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Lady Lake, FL
Posts: 879
Thanks: 672
Thanked 442 Times in 205 Posts
Default

Like everything else in life, you play the odds. While wearing a seatbelt will not guarantee your safety, having one on will increase your odds of not getting seriously hurt (or worse). People buy lottery tickets with far worse odds.
  #15  
Old 11-28-2018, 09:18 AM
justjim justjim is online now
Sage
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Illinois, Tennesee, Florida, Village of Caroline, Sanibel, LaBelle
Posts: 5,620
Thanks: 61
Thanked 1,297 Times in 535 Posts
Default

I have been riding around in a golf cart eleven plus years. Sumter Landing was just filling up and the Village of Caroline was selling like “hot cakes”. My point: The last few years I find myself driving my car more and my golf cart less. It’s safer. Like the commercial says - - “I know a thing or two cause I’ve seen a thing or two”.

That said, we both still enjoy our golf carts and play golf two or three times a week. Golfwingnut’s Post (#7) explains a lot why seat belts are not mandatory. Great post.
__________________
Most people are as happy as they make up their mind to be. Abraham Lincoln
Closed Thread

Tags
golf, cart, wearing, seat, belt

Thread Tools

You are viewing a new design of the TOTV site. Click here to revert to the old version.

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:18 PM.