6 Month Old
 

Is it illegal to have a 6 month old child in a golf cart?

Don't know if it is illegal...but, IMHO, it is irresponsible.

A 6-month-old child has to be in a securely fastened infant seat in a car. I don't see how that could happen in a golf car, but then it's not a car, so I don't know what law applies.

I doubt if it is illegal.

I am pretty sure that I was held in a car in my parents arms when I was six month old.

I think Guardian angels are overworked these days.

We see some mighty strange things about children in golf carts. One of the strangest I saw were 2 children standing in the back of a golf cart strapped in like 2 golf bags while Grandpa was zooming along the cart paths - at well above 20 mph. Just imagine if the cart were to have tipped over going around a curve.

If we are to say it is bad judgment or irresponsible to allow a 6 month old to ride in a lap in a golf cart, at what age does this no longer apply?

As adults, we accept the risks of driving in our carts every day. Children, by definition, cannot make that decision themselves. So does that mean we are irresponsible in allowing any non-adult to ride in our golf cart?

While I deplore parents/grandparents holding an infant/child while driving in a golf cart, allowing children to drive them, allowing children to stand while riding, etc., I am just unsure where we draw the line on how old a child needs to be to ride in one.

kate, I have an 18-month-old grandson. My daughter and he have ridden in the cart when he was an infant and now. As an infant, my daughter was belted in and held on to him for dear life. Now, he sits between us and grins from ear to ear every time we take off. My cart (when working properly) is pretty fast, but I keep it well below the 19 mph speed when he's in the cart. I do get the cart off of Morse as soon as possible (have no choice to start there -- I live right off Morse). Other than those two things, I drive the cart pretty much as I would alone -- safely, sanely and most definitely defensively.

Don't know about the rest of you folks but when I was an infant and toddler and kid, I was in the back seat of the car with no airbags or seatbelts. If I could, I was in the front, standing on the seat with the window down and my head hanging out (I wudda made a great puppy!). I think I was about 6 months old when I got my first motorcycle ride. I never wore a helmet riding a bike as a child (did you?). I jumped off of roofs, tops of barns, trees in attempts to fly. The swimming hole at the river(s) had ropes for us to swing off of. My knees were always scraped from rollerskates. I learned what was dangerous, what the risks of having fun were and I happily took the risks I deemed worth the pain. Now, we don't give kids that option.

Yes, driving a golf cart with a child in it has risks. So does being in a car, on a bike, walking on the street. So, I saw do it but be careful. Try to stay off of busy roads. Let other carts pass you. You're in no hurry and your 6 month old will enjoy the ride (and frequently fall asleep from the motion). And, yes, it is legal.