Conway moves to outlaw driving golf carts at night

The Conway City Council on Monday passed the first reading of a golf cart ordinance that would penalize city residents for a number of state offenses already on the books, including driving a golf cart at night without lights.

The measure passed with councilmen Larry White, Jean Timbes, Tom Anderson and Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy voting in favor.

Councilmen Ashley Smith, Randle Alford and William Goldfinch voted against the ordinance.

Those councilors’ opposition to the ordinance was due in large part to the issue of night driving.

“I do support the police and their efforts to ensure that drivers of golf carts are licensed and insured,” said Goldfinch. “But I do think there are plenty of circumstances in which it makes sense for responsible golf cart owners to operate their golf carts at night provided they have the sufficient lighting and that sort of thing. If the ordinance allowed for riding at night provided you had the proper lighting, I would support it 100 percent.”

The ordinance largely mirrors state law, which prohibits golf carts from driving at night, regardless of lights. It prevents more passengers from riding in a golf cart than there are seats in the cart, and prohibits people from hanging off the side of a moving cart.

The state ordinance has no penalty attached to it, making the state law effectively unenforceable. The city’s ordinance has $50 fine.

“I’ve heard of incidents where there have been major injuries and deaths based on golf cart usage, and I am in favor of enforcing South Carolina state law,” said Bellamy. “What if every 15-year-old says, ‘I want to take out the family car, it looks like fun.’”

A golf cart owner herself, Bellamy said she’s aware of the risk associated with driving at night.

“Out of precaution for my safety and that of the people riding with me, I would just opt to do the right thing,” she said.

But some citizens disagreed.

Conway resident Beth Werkhoven said she and her husband travel to downtown Conway often in the their golf cart, and she told the council she was “disappointed” in the move.

“I’ve never seen a golf cart fly down the streets of Conway almost running me over,” she said. “I’ve never seen a golf cart shoot someone in their head at their work. We’re facing major crimes in this city but we’re talking about golf carts.”

The mayor responded, saying she didn’t see night time golf cart drivers as a criminal element.

“But to keep people safe from themselves sometimes takes a little extra effort on our part,” she said.

This story was originally published November 6, 2017 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Conway moves to outlaw driving golf carts at night."