Although perhaps created for the links, golf carts are often utilized for other purposes besides navigating a golf course. In fact, you can also use these useful compact vehicles to get around your neighborhood, your own property, or even throughout the city. Due to these many uses, it might be a good idea to purchase golf cart insurance due to the potential for additional risks.
Do You Need Golf Cart Insurance?
While golf cart coverage or a policy on your golf cart isn’t legally required in most states, there are limits to the protection you can expect from a homeowners' policy. For example, while operating a golf cart on your property, your homeowners’ policy will likely protect you against any liability. However, if you are operating your golf cart off of your property, on a neighborhood road, for example, then your homeowners’ policy will not protect you. Since many times golf carts are operated outside the perimeters of an owner’s property, this would mean there is no coverage to protect them in the event of an accident or to protect against damage that might be inflicted by the golf cart.
In addition, most homeowners’ policies will fall short of covering physical damage to the golf cart itself. For this type of protection, you would need a policy that covers comprehensive, and collision coverage to protect against damage to your golf cart or to compensate you if your golf cart is stolen.
So, to answer the question, yes, it's a good idea to have insurance on your golf cart for many reasons.
What Does Golf Cart Insurance Cover?
A basic golf cart insurance policy will provide Liability and Physical Damage coverage. The following is a breakdown of what you can expect from an average golf cart policy:
Bodily Injury Liability
The golf cart policy will cover Bodily Injury and Property Damage that could occur if you have an accident in your golf cart that causes injury or property damages to someone else up to the limit of coverage on the policy.
Uninsured Motorist Property Damage
This coverage provides Bodily Injury coverage for you, in the event that your golf cart is hit by someone who either doesn’t have insurance on their vehicle or is underinsured by the limits on your policy.
Property Damage Liability
If you cause damage to another person’s property while operating your golf cart, your policy will provide coverage for the damages up to the limit of coverage on the policy.
Medical Payments
Medical payments coverage is optional, but if you chose to purchase this coverage, the policy will provide Medical Payments coverage for you in the event that you were injured while operating your golf cart, up to the limit of coverage on the policy.
Collision Coverage
If you chose to purchase collision coverage and the golf cart collides with any vehicle or object the insurance company will pay to repair the vehicle subject to the policy deductible. If the vehicle is a total loss, the policy will pay the Actual Cash Value of the vehicle, this is not Replacement Cost coverage.
Comprehensive Coverage
If your golf cart is stolen or damaged by something other than a collision, the insurance company will pay to repair the vehicle subject to the policy deductible. If the vehicle is a total loss, the policy will pay the Actual Cash Value of the vehicle, this is not Replacement Cost coverage.
How Much Does Golf Cart Insurance Cost?
There is no hard and fast rule of what a golf insurance policy will cost. It is best to check with your Winter-Dent agent to determine what type of coverage you need based on your golf cart usage and how best to get that coverage. Keep in mind that once you leave your property, most homeowners' policies will fall short of offering you the protection you likely want on your golf cart. Add to this the fact that it likely won’t cover damage to your cart even on the property, and it’s easy to see why getting a policy for your golf cart is a good idea.
Golf Cart Safety Tips
While your actions will not prevent every accident, you can reduce your risk of ever having to file a claim involving your golf cart but keeping these general tips in mind:
- Obey all traffic laws and rules when operating on a roadway.
- Be sure to slow down when making turns.
- Keep legs, arms, hands, and feet inside the golf cart at all times when in operation.
- If you have seatbelts, make sure you put them to use.
- Do not allow anyone to stand up when the golf cart is moving.
- Avoid texting and driving for the same reasons you want to avoid it in your everyday vehicle.
- Only transport as many people as you have seats for, don’t let anyone hang on the side.
- Before leaving your golf cart, always make sure the parking brake is engaged. It’s also smart to remove the key before leaving your golf cart.
- Be sure to follow any state-specific laws for operating your golf cart.
- Make sure nothing or no one is behind you when backing up your golf cart.
- Be cautious when making a change of direction suddenly or having to stop suddenly as this could cause a loss of control.
Make Sure You Are Covered
Before driving your golf cart off the green, or in this case, your own property, make sure that you are protected against anything that might happen. While you might seek to operate your golf cart as safely and responsibly as possible, you never know when another driver will cause a problem or your golf cart could be damaged or even stolen while sitting on your property. Therefore, it’s important to ask your Winter-Dent agent about the type of coverage you might need to protect you.
Contact us today to learn more.
