Transportation Safety: Golf cart/LSV, Bikes, E-Bikes
“Vacation” – where you can get away from your everyday life! It’s simpler, slower and you can forget all your cares! But please, please, don’t leave all your “CAREFUL” at home.
I will be honest, so stay with me and keep reading. I love that you have found 30A as your favorite vacation spot, me too! For me, so much so that I live here!
When you come for your vacation: Pack your brain, too! You will still need to be aware of the laws of the universe. Gravity, physics, natural consequences. Yep, they are here, too!! You need to be aware that where you are vacationing has laws for the safety of the people here, whether full-time residents or you, the visitor/vacationer.
You can still have fun, but you must bring your common sense and brain and ensure everyone in your family/party packs theirs, too! Take a minute and think about it. Please, please… take time to talk to your family about safety. Keep your precious babies/kiddos/teens safe. If you’re going on vacation for fun, please don’t leave your common sense at home and ruin your vacation. I know you have it – because you picked one of the most beautiful and best places to vacation on 30A!
So – here is some food for thought – just a few reminders and mindsets to prepare for before arriving at the beach.
Would you let your kid ride their bike without a helmet at home?
Of course not! So, pack yours from home if your rental doesn’t offer one for everyone that’s going to be riding a bike. If you forget, take time to go to Walmart or a bike shop and pick one up or rent one. Make sure it fits! Note: when I say golf cart, I mean golf cart/LSV, which stands for “Low-Speed Vehicle.”
Would you ride in your car and hold your baby on your lap in your car at home?
Of course not! Please don’t do it here. Not in a car OR a golf cart/LSV. Golf carts here are “street legal,” meaning they have all the same rules as a car. They do. They have speedometers; they have turning indicators; they have headlights, they have horns, AND – they have seatbelts.
If your child is of age and weight to ride in a car seat at home – they would have to be in a car seat on a golf cart/LSV here. Better yet – send those in your party not of car seat age in the golf cart/LSV, and you drive your car and keep your kids in their car seats in your vehicle. Let me repeat that – keep your kids in your car seats and send everyone else who doesn’t fit in the car in the golf cart. “But I don’t want all the sand in my car?” Really? You’re at the beach. Sand is at the beach. It’s in your yard. The ground here IS sand. Sand will be everywhere. Sweep or shake it out and be thankful! When you are home and see some, you can clean it out.
Wear your seat belt.
Make sure everyone is buckled in before you drive. You can fit four people if you have four seatbelts in your golf cart/LSV. Don’t cram in, don’t share a seatbelt, and don’t just hold on. If you have six seatbelts, it’s for six people. That’s it.
Golf carts/LSVs have weight limits.
Also – MOST carts have a weight limit. Six-seat golf carts have a weight limit usually of 1000 pounds. If all 6 of you’ll weigh 250 lbs each – it’s a hard no. That’s 1500 pounds. (Math!) I tell you this because you can bend and break the frame of a golf cart, and it’s usually unable to be repaired. It’s a golf cart / LSV. It’s not built like a car. It has a weight limit. So don’t pile up all the weight and then wonder why your cart suddenly won’t drive, and you are stranded. Plus, the carts can’t even reach the speed limit with that much weight. It will go slower, and you are a safety risk because your acceleration response time is slowed due to too much weight.
Would you let your 12-year-old drive your car around the neighborhood with his friends?
Of course not! Don’t do it here. Golf carts are not “kid cars.” Golf carts aren’t for kids. They are for a licensed driver. No, not a learner’s permit, a fully licensed driver. Check the rules of your rental; most require drivers to be 21. Most make you sign a waiver. Your 12, 13, 14, or 15-year-old can’t sign that waiver. You’re all in trouble if they get hurt or hurt someone else. Again, it’s not worth it. Let them ride a bike to get around. If your rental doesn’t come with bikes, you can rent some for your stay. (don’t forget helmets!!) Most places offer to drop off and pick up at your rental location! Super easy! You’ll usually sign an agreement and waiver online. Some places will have them waiting for you when you check in to your rental. So, again, only licensed drivers drive the golf cart, and most have to be at least 21.
Would you drink and then hop in the golf cart to get somewhere and feel safer because it’s not your car?
Of course not (well, I hope not! don’t do it). You can get pulled over for reckless driving. There have been numerous arrests for people driving recklessly, crashing golf carts and flipping them, or turning them on their side. They DO NOT handle the same as a car. They don’t drive the same as a car. You and anyone with you and around you could get hurt. So, don’t drink and drive. Designate a driver or call “Get a Goober” to be picked up and taken to your destination or back home in a golf cart/LSV or van. The minimal cost is worth it. Save your driving record and save a life, maybe even your own. Link to Get a Goober: (they even have an app) https://getagoober.com/
Where can you go in a golf cart / LSV (Low-Speed Vehicle)?
You can drive East and West on 30A and most of the roads connecting it. But you CAN’T (nor should you) go on 98. (speed limits are as high as 65 in some areas – that’s no match for a tiny golf cart on a highway!!) Some towns have banned golf carts from Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach. Some towns, including Seaside, have banned golf carts on their side streets. If you get a ticket – you might as well tell your rental owner/manager immediately. Violation tickets will be sent directly to the homeowner who registered the license for the cart. I’ve not seen one for less than $50.00. They are usually $150.00. So, please avoid that and pay attention to the laws.
You can park a golf cart/ LSV in some spots where you can park a car. Seaside has designated free parking for Golf Carts/LSVs at the entrance to both sides of the square/Quincy Circle. Select public beach accesses have room for golf cart/LSV parking. Don’t just park on the side of the road since you aren’t as big as a car. You are probably parked illegally and will get a ticket, booted, or towed. Park in a parking lot or designated area just for carts.
See this link for a map showing where you can and cannot drive an LSV. https://waltonso.org/lsv/
- 35 MPH OR LESS. You can only drive on roads with posted speed limit signs of 35 MPH or less.
- No alcohol/open containers in a Golf Cart/LSV. No open containers for the driver or anyone riding in the golf cart/LSV.
- No carts on the “multi-use path” along 30A. Do you know the wonderful “Multi-use path” that runs all along 30A? No, you can’t drive your golf cart / LSV on it.
- Pedestrians
When driving around, keep your eyes peeled for pedestrians, especially kids! On bikes and foot! There are numerous crosswalks, some with caution lights and many without. Slow down and be aware. Have those riding with you help keep watch.
- Bike Courtesy
When riding bikes, especially on the multi-use path, be courteous to those walking and running. A bell or vocally calling out to someone before you pass (“on the left!”) can help you have a stress-free ride. If you are going to ride a bike at night, you must have a light on your bike for safety. Most rental bikes don’t have this and don’t provide it.
- Biking at Night
Biking at night isn’t always recommended here, as most of 30A are kept light-free (or using red lights) for nesting turtles. So, a light on your bike is essential for getting around at dawn or dusk or, for some reason, at night. Please educate your kids on this, too. For the safety of themselves and others, whizzing between and around others walking or riding is unsafe, and it’s rude and disrespectful in the daytime or nighttime!! The “multi-use path” is just that – for those walking, running, and biking. Kids here are the worst offenders (sorry, but it happens all the time), and the last thing you want is a call that your kid who was flying around on their bike is hurt or has hurt someone else because they were in a hurry or goofing around and couldn’t be courteous and slow down.
Also – on a side note – parents – have your kids wear coverups or t-shirts and shorts when riding. For starters, it’s better protection for their skin in the Florida sun if they have a collision. Secondly, you don’t want your pre-teen or teenage daughter riding around in their bikini on a bike. They’d be scraped up in places they didn’t plan if they were to fall or have a collision, and it’s also just gross. Butt cheeks and bike seats – there needs to be a barrier. Just sayin’. Yuk. (if you haven’t seen it yet in the summer, wait… again, something you wouldn’t do in your hometown, right? so why should it be okay here? There are some cute coverups available to buy, so…)
- E-Bikes
I’ll save an extensive write-up on this for another blog post. E-Bikes are becoming more and more popular. What a great way for someone with strength or mobility issues who is an avid rider to continue to enjoy the pleasure of a great bike ride!
One thing we locals witness (yes, daily) is the adults who rent regular, one-speed bikes weaving and trying to balance since they haven’t been on a bike since they were a kid! It’s kind of comical to watch, and I think it’s fantastic they are giving it a try again – but they are usually out there on the road or bike path with no helmet and just beachwear, and it’s pretty awful when they do crash. So…if it’s been 5, 10, or 20 years since you’ve hopped on a bike – maybe get in a bit of practice before renting an e-bike. Take an e-bike class at home before you venture to the beach and rent one, then you can enjoy it safely and enjoy vacation time exploring instead of figuring it out. Just a thought if you are one of the ones revisiting the fundamental physics of balance? Just throwing that thought out there for you to consider.
Here are some GREAT links to safety and rules and regulations, more specific and streamlined than above.
LSV Links:
Slow Ride: Safety Laws for Low-speed vehicles:
https://www.visitsouthwalton.com/blog/slow-ride-safety-laws-for-low-speed-vehicles/
Low-speed vehicle laws: Great resource from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO)
E-Bike Links: How to ride an E-Bike safely
https://www.bicycling.com/culture/g20085571/ride-electric-bike-safely/
