Hello and welcome to our golf cart safety official website.
®
NOTICE: By visiting this site you agree to be bound by the "Web Site Terms of Use" , "Privacy Policy" and the following terms and conditions.It is the personal responsibility of the viewer for acting on any content contained within this site. The National Golf Cart Association (NGCA) has made every effort possible to present sound and factual information. NGCA does not certify the information contained on this site. It is recommended an individual, business, or any persons perform an independent review of the information contained for accuracy. Refer to your Golf Cart Manufacturer’s Manual for Specific Safety Instructions..The information contained in this web site is not intended to replace your Golf Cart Manufacturer’s Safety Instructions. The Golf Cart should only be operated by persons with a valid driver’s license.
The National Golf Cart Association SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES resulting from the use of the information and materials.
Thanks for visting today!
We hope you enjoy
and benefit!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Robert Edwards
National Golf Cart Association ™
1.888.687.6422
safety@nationalgolfcartassociation.com
www.NationalGolfCartAssociation.com
The National Golf Cart Association on a Mission of Safety Education
July 9, 2008---The National Golf Cart Association is on a mission to educate the increasing numbers of golf cart owners, operators, and passengers to make their golf cart experience a safe one. The golf cart is becoming a growing phenomenon in residential settings. As the Nation faces increasing fuel prices the public is looking for alternative ways to combat the rising cost of transportation.
Golf carts, classified as “Low Speed Vehicles” (LSV's), are allowed on many public roads providing they are equipped with required safety features and obey traffic laws as regulated by Federal, State and Local ordinances. Golf cart related injuries are on the rise in emergency rooms across the country. The youngest operators and passengers make up the largest number of victims. Recent studies indicate a lack of safety training as a contributing factor to this rise, with head trauma among the most serious injuries treated.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Injury Sciences studied 48,000 golf cart injuries and found the highest rate in males 10 to 19 years old and people older than 80. Researches suggest manufactures and sellers of golf carts should be required to include safety education materials at the time of sale.
Robert Edwards is taking his thirty-seven years in the automotive industry, with seventeen of those years spent in automotive education for America's youth, to tackle the issue of golf cart safety training.
“I'm not going to sit still and watch these numbers rise”, said Edwards. “I saw it coming and it is here now and we're lacking in our duty to educate the public”. Edwards sees a need to educate the youth of our country with the most powerful tool he has at his disposal, the Internet.
Edwards started a year ago consulting with design engineers, lawyers, safety professionals, law enforcement personnel, physicians, and driver education professionals. Through the recommendations of the National Golf Cart Association advisory board, an “e-book” is slated to be released titled “Golf Cart Defensive Driving and Riding”, free to the public on the NGCA website. Another “e-book” is also under development, “Golf Cart Safety for Teens”, that will cover recommendations for driving, riding and maintaining gas and electric golf carts. Edwards has an interactive web based training project on the drawing board that he hopes to have in operation in the near future..
“I know what needs to be done and I'm doing it”, said Edwards, “I'm getting the golf cart retail dealers involved; they are as concerned as I am”. “I have not talked to a dealer yet that didn't support our project.” They are the first line of defense to distribute safety knowledge and they want all the help they can get”. “I have spent a year of my time and a good bit of my personal money to get us where we are today”. “The funds received from the membership dues will be put into more research, education, and design of personal protective equipment for operators and passengers”.
For more information, visit the NGCA website http://www.nationalgolfcartassociation.com
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Edwin R. Stoddard
Director of Training
National Golf Cart Association ™
1.888.687.6422
safety@nationalgolfcartassociation.com
www.NationalGolfCartAssociation.com
The National Golf Cart Association Continues on a Mission of Safety Education
September 27, 2010---The National Golf Cart Association continues on its mission to educate the increasing numbers of golf cart owners, operators, and passengers about a safer mode of operation for their Golf Cart experiences. The Golf Cart is showing a growing presence in residential settings, for convenience, economy, and "being green", and usage continues to rise. As the nation contends with increasing fuel prices, the public is looking to alternatives to automobiles for short-trip transportation. Cheaper to buy, maintain, and operate, Golf Carts are attractive choices for many, especially in warm climates. The Federal program of tax credits for the purchase of LSVs has definitely boosted the sales of electric carts.
Classified as “Low Speed Vehicles” (LSV's), Golf Carts are allowed on many public roads, the providing they are equipped with required safety features as regulated by federal, state and local ordinances. As a result, Golf Cart related injuries are becoming commonplace in emergency rooms across the country. Recent studies indicate a lack of safety training is a contributing factor to this increase, and head and spine trauma are increasingly evident.
In 2008 the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Injury Sciences studied 48,000 golf cart injuries and found the highest rate of injury in males 10 to 19 years old and people older than 80. Researchers suggested that manufacturers and vendors of golf carts should be required to include safety education materials with the sale.
"We have been quite successful in moving our projects forward." stated Ed Stoddard, Director of Training for the National Golf Cart Association. "We are making an impact, and expect to do so even more as we continue to develop and make available our products for Golf Cart safety education. Golf Cart manufacturers are aware of the hazards, and spend a good deal of their time and resources on developing safe products, and more efficient products. A good example is the automatic brake which helps limit downhill speeds. The issue we are tackling is educating the public and commercial users toward safe operation and timely maintenance".
The impact mentioned by Ed Stoddard includes the awareness by the public of specific safety rules that apply to Golf Carts and that Golf Carts are not automobiles. "We have contacts throughout the year from representatives of residential communities that have begun allowing the use of Golf Carts on public roads and from industries where the Golf Cart has become a part of their operations. Often we are approached by media working on stories about the rise of Golf Cart usage. Unfortunately we are also gotten in touch with after accidents have occurred, often by law firms representing one side or the other of a tragic accident. We are focused on preventing accidents, so we investigate accidents to improve our instruction".
Stoddard said he is spending most of his time working at the National Golf Cart Association “on-line” Campus located at http://www.nationalgolfcartassociation.org where groups will be able to train and maintain training records for individuals, communities, and businesses. "We are definitely in an age of “Video-On-Demand” and that’s where we plan to take Golf Cart Safety Training".
For more information, visit the NGCA website http://www.nationalgolfcartassociation.com
Press Releases
Press Releases
