Golf cart safety concerns hit home in Anna Maria

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Injuries from accidents involving golf carts are on the rise across the U.S. and a specialist in pediatric injuries say children are particularly at risk.

Dr. Deborah Ann Mulligan, doctor specializing in pediatric emergency medicine and a clinical associate professor at Florida Atlantic University, says a Florida law restricting who can drive a golf cart of a public street is a good idea.

Any person operating a golf cart on public roads or streets who is under 18 years of age must possess a valid learner’s driver license or valid driver license.

Mulligan talked to ABC7 after a 15-year-old girl was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital June 30 after she fell out of a golf cart on Anna Maria Island, fire officials said.

A report from West Manatee Fire Rescue says it happened at the intersection of Spring Avenue and North Shore Drive.

First responders found the girl on the ground next to the golf cart, with “significant injuries,” the report said.

The driver of the golf cart said she was going 5-10 mph when she went to turn and her friend rolled out of the cart and fell onto the road.