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By Janel Davis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

8:18 p.m. Friday, March 25, 2011
Lost in the publicity surrounding legislation about immigration, education and selling booze on Sundays, a bill about golf carts is quietly working its way through the Legislature.

The legislation, Senate Bill 240, overwhelmingly passed in the Senate earlier this month, and it is being debated by the House.

The bill would create a new class of personal transportation vehicles, commonly referred to as golf carts, that go no faster than 20 mph and weigh less than 1,375 pounds. It is designed to set a standard for jurisdictions that may choose to implement golf cart ordinances and allow residents to use them on residential streets and multiuse paths, such as those in Peachtree City.

The legislation has strong backing from the National Golf Car Manufacturers Association, whose members include the state's top three manufacturers of “golf cars” -- as they are called in the industry.

The ultimate goal is about the environment and jobs, said Fred Sommers, president of the NGCMA. About 90 percent of the carts used in North America are made in Georgia, and about 20 jobs would be created for every 1,000 vehicles made here, according to the association.

“We also reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and provide a second vehicle for people when gas is steadily rising,” Sommers said.

Twenty-three Georgia cities currently have golf cart ordinances, according to the Georgia Municipal Association, which along with the Association County Commissioners of Georgia has taken a neutral stance on the bill.

Supporters are hoping for a better ending than last year, when similar legislation was vetoed by then Gov. Sonny Perdue.

That version would have restricted the golf cart driving age to 16 and above and licensed drivers, moves that would have eliminated numerous students and elderly drivers who had given up their licenses, said James Lee, the owner of two carts and president of the Rockspray homeowners association in Peachtree City.

He bought his latest cart about five years ago for $2,500.

“If gas reaches $5 a gallon, you will see a lot more people,” he said. “You don’t live in Peachtree City and not drive them.”

This time around, the legislation includes no age requirements. It also would exempt from the equipment standards cities and counties — such as Peachtree City — that have golf cart ordinances in place before the bill would take effect on Jan. 1.

Still to be worked out is whether the bill would require the carts to include seat belts and front and back brakes.

“If they are permitted to go further than golf courses, I would like to see the safety requirements included because people are using these carts more and more,” said Sen. Valencia Seay, D-Riverdale, who sits on the Transportation Committee and represents the area around Peachtree City.

NGCMA representatives argue that the requirements are being pushed by a Chinese vehicle importer.

The existing rear brakes are sufficient for stopping, and adding belts would require extra rollover equipment to be added, making the cars uncompetitive, Sommers said.

State not ready for new law
Associated Press
Associated Press

ATLANTA —

Georgia officials have no process to register some golf carts in the state despite a new law requiring it in certain instances, a state Department of Revenue spokesman said Thursday.

A law taking effect Sunday creates a classification for some golf carts called "personal transportation vehicles" — which must weigh less than 1,375 pounds and not top speeds of 20 mph. The law requires the carts to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles, even though most golf carts don't come with titles, which are required for registration, said Jud Seymour with the state revenue department.

And some places, like Atlanta, require an emissions test for registration, but there are currently no testing stations for golf carts, Seymour said.

"The law states it does have to be registered, but we cannot register it," he said.

The new law is causing confusion because it is similar to an existing statute for "motorized carts," which do not have to be registered with the state, said Rusi Patel with the Georgia Municipal Association. Motorized carts must have at least three wheels and weigh less than 1,300 pounds, while personal transportation vehicles must have at least four wheels and weigh less than 1,375 pounds.

Most golf carts on the market weigh less than 1,000 pounds.

The new law establishes safety standards for personal transportation vehicles, including braking systems, a reverse warning device, tail lamps, a horn and hip restraints. But an owner could simply say they are driving a motorized cart to avoid having to include those features on their golf cart, Patel said.

It is also unclear whether personal transportation vehicles can be driven on roadways at all because the bill creating the law does not include language allowing that, while the statute concerning motorized carts does, Patel said. The association has been fielding questions from cities and others about how the new law affects golf cart owners, he said.

"It was clear it was confusing to a lot of people," Patel said.

The new law does not apply to the some 23 Georgia cities — from Peachtree City to Hahira — that already have golf cart ordinances allowing golfers to drive off the course and on to local roadways.

The bill was signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal this year after his predecessor, Gov. Sonny Perdue, vetoed a similar measure last year. It had backing from one of Georgia's key industries — golf cart manufacturing.

The Georgia-based International Light Transportation Vehicle Association, formerly known as the National Golf Cars Manufacturers Association — which prefers the term "car" to "cart" — estimates that 90 percent of the golf carts used in the U.S. are made in Georgia.