Golf Cart Madness

Does your Homeowner's insurance cover golf cart incidents? 

Many people believe their homeowners insurance covers for accident / incident involving their golfcarts.  Golfcarts are becoming more and more popular especially in planned developments like Ross Bridge or Greystone in Hoover, Alabama, or in retirement communities.  Golf carts are popular involving events like hauling kids around to “trick or treat,” hay rides, and other Holiday events.

In some neighborhoods there are a number of electric golf carts being driven around on the local city streets. With gas prices like they are, who can blame them?  

Can I drive my golf cart on city streets?

What if there is an accident while driving your golf cart.

Does your homeowner insurance cover these incidents if there is an accident?

The quick answer is “it depends.”

The facts surrounding the incident, where it occurred, and as it pertains to your own insurance policy will determine if there is coverage or not.

As a general rule of thumb, if you are operating your golfcart on your home premises property and hit someone injuring them (a non-resident relative of your household) then there may be coverage and your insurance will pay for their injuries caused by you.

However, if you are driving your golfcart down the street and cause an accident, there may not be coverage. It’s a good idea to contact your insurance agent and discuss whether or not you will need a special endorsement to make sure you are covered for such incidents.

​On a related note, the typical Joe ‘Shankopotomus’ who hits a stray golf shot on the golf course, shattering another homeowner’s window is typically covered by their homeowner’s insurance. If this is you, we recommend taking a lesson or two to groove your swing a little more.

Remember, once you take your golf cart off your premises, your insurance coverage may be in question.   Plan ahead. We can direct you to help seek out the information you may need to avoid being sued and personally responsible for injuries caused to others from something like this.

HAVE A QUESTION?

Please feel free to call:
Huntsville Office:
256-203-6737
Birmingham Office:
​205-566-2379