Golf Carts have always been a popular form of transportation in Surfside Beach, but now that summer is here, it couldn’t be more true. According to wmbfnews.com, local police are urging citizens to follow the state and local golf cart laws.
In 2015, Surfside Beach updated its golf cart ordinance to help improve safety on the roads. This aligned Surfside Beach with the State’s law on golf carts, allowing police to enforce the laws.
Chief of Surfside Beach Police Department, Kenneth Hofmann, stated a typical fine for a golf cart violation can be upwards of $130.
Ways to get fined include:
- driving underage
- driving on major highway
- and driving after dark
Chef Hofmann wants people to understand that while police try to make sure the roads are safe, they also want to make sure the whole community is safe, this including incidents with golf carts.
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Hofmann states, “What we have to try to remind people of is that the patrol officers have to triage what’s going on in the community. So, on the Fourth of July when there’s a lot of things going on, a violation of the golf cart ordinance may not be the most important thing that they have to handle at the time.. And if people see a police officer at night pass a golf cart with lights driving at night.. It may be that that officer is on the way to a more important call for service that’s a little higher importance. Remember that especially on the Fourth of July, we have up to 40 thousand people in this two square mile town and a limited number of police officers… they’re going to handle things in the order of importance.”
Surfside Beach Police say their main focus is on educating people on the rules for golf carts, especially at night time. Chef Hoffman reported the Surfside Police have logged 98 golf cart stops, 78 of those happened at night and resulted in warnings.
To help prevent this, the department has begun putting flashing signs warning drivers that golf carts are not allowed after dusk. Golf cart rental companies in the town are also supposed to put proper information on their golf carts, notifying the renters of the rules and regulations while driving the vehicle. When dusk approaches, officers try to notify golf cart drivers to start heading home, so they do not get fined or are endangered in any way.
