Golf Carts, Motorized Vehicle
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Sports & Recreation Equipment · CPSC Code 1213
Up 38% over 5 years
The verdict
Golf Carts, Motorized Vehicle carry a danger score of 48/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 18,148 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 38% over the last five years.
- 48/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 18,148
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 12.8%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1213 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 48/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for golf carts, motorized vehicle - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume18,148 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)12.8%
- Fatality rate0.21%
- 5-year trend+38%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Golf Carts, Motorized Vehicle (CPSC product code 1213, in the Sports & Recreation Equipment category) generate an estimated 18,148 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 362,959 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 48/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are rising by about 38% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (28,542 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2005 (12,978 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for golf carts, motorized vehicle is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 53,507 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by concussion to the head (12,643 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 78,142 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 12.8% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.21%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 23 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how golf carts, motorized vehicle fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 11,323 | 5,828 | |
| 5-14 | 40,531 | 37,611 | |
| 15-24 | 28,353 | 26,176 | |
| 25-34 | 20,931 | 11,867 | |
| 35-44 | 19,188 | 11,325 | |
| 45-54 | 15,737 | 13,504 | |
| 55-64 | 19,852 | 14,673 | |
| 65-74 | 21,774 | 18,034 | |
| 75+ | 26,463 | 19,792 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Lower Leg | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Ankle | Fracture | |
| Knee | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Lower Arm | Fracture | |
| Lower Trunk | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Leg | Fracture | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
31YOF PRESENTS AFTER SHE WAS HIT IN THE LEGS BUY A GOLF CART OR A KIDS GO CART, HAS AN ABRASION TO THE KNEE AND SHIN ABRASIONS AND SHIN PAIN TO BOTH LEGS AND LEFT ANKLE DX: LEG PAIN
23YOM STS ROLLED A GOLF CART C/O L KNEE PAIN & ELBOW PAIN - STS WAS DRIVING A LITTLE TO FAST WHEN CAME AROUND A CORNER, IT TIPPED TO THE SIDE DX L KNEE SPRAIN ELBOW CONTUSION L ANKLE SPRAIN MULTIPLE ABRASIONS
63YOM WAS THE DRIVER OF A GOLF CART THAT HAD A BEVERAGE CART HEAD ON AND HIT HIS RIGHT LOWER RIBS ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND THEN WAS THROWN FROM THE GOLF CART DX: CHEST WALL CONTUSION AND ABDOMINAL WALL CONTUSION
29YOF PRESENTS WITH BRUISING AND SWELLING OVER HER RIGHT 5TH TOE THAT STARTED YESTERDAY AFTER A GOLF CART RAN OVER A TOE. DX: FRACTURE RIGHT TOE CLOSED
67YOF WAS DRIVING A GOLF CART WHEN SHE WAS HIT BY A CAR DX:CONCUSSION, FRACTURED RIGHT THUMB, STRAINED NECK
63YOF WAS RIDING IN A GOLF CART WITH HER HUSBAND WHEN HE HIT A BUMP AND SHE STUCK HER ARM OUT TO BRACE HERSELF ON THE DASHBOARD AND DEVELOPED SEVERE PAIN IN RIGHT ARM DX: FRACTURED RIGHT HUMERUS
66YOM FELL OUT OF GOLF CART STRIKING HIS HEAD DX:HEMATOMA FOREHEAD, CLOSED HEAD INJURY
77YOM WAS PASSENGER IN GOLF CART WHEN HIS GOLF CART WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER GOLF CART AND HE WAS THROWN OUT DX:CONCUSION, FRACTURE OF RIGHT FIFTH FINGER
76YOM WAS A DRIVING A GOLF CART WHEN HE LOST CONTROL AND STRUCK TREE DX:FRACTURED NOSE, STRAINED NECK, CONCUSSION
81YOM WAS DRIVING A GOLF CART WHEN HE PASSED OUT AND CRASHED GOLF CART EKG SHOWS VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA DX:GOLF CART CRASH NO INJURY, VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA
69YOF WAS DRIVER OF GOLF CART WHEN SHE CRASHED INTO TREE WAS EJECTED DX:CLOSED HEAD INJURY LAC TO SCALP
19MOM HAD A FALL OUT OF A GOLF CART STRIKING HIS HEAD DX: CLOSED HEAD INJURY, FRACTURED LEFT CLAVICLE
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The subject product is a 2022 E-Z-Go golf cart (LSV) manufactured by Textron. It's design is such that a sharp piece of steel steel injured a passenger's leg upon existing. This occurred twice on different dates. This steel is part of the structure that attaches the seat belts to the LSV. The present injuries were painful but nto severe. However, if a minor accident were to occur rear passengers legs would be jammed into the sharp steel fixtures.
Cart started to death wobble, I was thrown, steering suddenly went out and there was no way to control cart I am seriously injured.
While driving a 2024 EZ-GO RXV Elite Lithium battery golf cart, the motor stopped and the brake engaged bringing the golf cart to an abrupt stop.
While riding the electric cart on a public road for approximately five minutes at 20 MPH per hour the left wheel became very wobbling. He drove it cautiously to his home in which was less than a mile away. On 7/25/2011 a company by the name of Quality Golf Cars located in Bluffington Sc came out to the home to take the cart back to the shop. After a close examination while the golf cart was in the shop the technician name not provided) contacted the consumer to advise him that he was able to remove the wheel with his bare hands and that the left front barring had failed. He has made many attempts over the weekend to contact the firm but was not able to do so. He contacted the retailer that he purchased the unit from and was advised that over the course of time the lubrication that is used on the barring tend to dry out causing the barring to break. Since there is no way to reapply the lubrication you would have to have the barring replace. Since the cart has had repairs made to it he indicated that he will continue to use it but with caution. CORRECTION: CPSC investigation report confirms that the consumer had a local business modify the golf cart to enable it to go at higher speeds than the stock engine allows.
Ezgo golf cart, Model Shuttle TXT 2x2G manufactured date code of H303 caught fire in parking lot on University Campus. Fire likely originated from the carburetor. Flames were visible all on the outside of the fuel lines around the fuel pump, and the gas tank. Fire was extinguished, police and fire dept notified and the universities office of Health and Environmental Safety. No injuries. Was determined later on the fuel tank became leaky towards the top where the fuel level mechanism is. Fire burned through fuel tank and rear right tire. Damage to fuel system and drivers seat also notable. Safety recalls have been published on this model cart but for 2014 and 2015. Appears there is a similar issue with older carts such as these.
It caught fire when I started it
I was driving my 2019 ez go gas powered valor with 3 of my family members aboard when we smelled something burning. Upon seeing a significant amount of smoke from the engine compartment we stopped and exited the vehicle. Inspection revealed the starter generator cable had somehow come to rest across the exhaust pipe causing it to completely sever the cable.
E-Z-Go Model TXT Golf Cart loss of steering control/crash due to failure of aluminum die cast steering arm/steering box assembly.
Showing 8 of 23 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to golf carts, motorized vehicle on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are golf carts, motorized vehicle?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, golf carts, motorized vehicle have a danger score of 48/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 18,148 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from golf carts, motorized vehicle?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 53,507 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from golf carts, motorized vehicle increasing or decreasing?
Up 38% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for golf carts, motorized vehicle injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 78,142 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by golf carts, motorized vehicle?
Of all ER visits involving golf carts, motorized vehicle, approximately 12.8% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (87.2%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with golf carts, motorized vehicle?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Sports & Recreation Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 48/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 5-14 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
