Gas prices have some living life in the slow lane

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A study released in June by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found that annual injury rates for golf carts rose 130 percent over the 16 years ending in 2006.

Another recent study, by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said about 1,000 Americans are hurt on golf carts each month, with males ages 10 to 19 and people over 80 with the highest injury rates. About half of the injuries occurred on golf courses or in other sports venues, including football stadiums.

Fatal golf cart accidents are rare, but they draw attention.

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In Minnesota last month, a 41-year-old man died when he fell from a golf cart and hit his head on the pavement. In June, an 87-year-old man was killed in Indiana when the golf cart was hit by a car on a rural highway.

"A lot of people perceive golf carts as little more than toys, but our findings suggest they can be quite dangerous, especially when used on public roads," researcher Gerald McGwin said in unveiling the UAB study in June.

Woll said he wouldn't mind tightening Sesser's ordinance to add a requirement that residential golf carts have a warning that sounds when they back up — a feature he's added to his cart, intent on setting a good example.

But the town is already sold on the carts' fuel economy benefits: Sesser is looking to buy a used golf cart for the water department, figuring it'd be more convenient for meter reading than constantly jumping in and out of the pickup truck.

"This maybe would save us about $600 to $700 a year in fuel just for the water department," Woll said.

He figures the carts are be especially sensible in Sesser, a hardscrabble town that fell on tough times in recent decades as nearby coal mines closed. And with so many townspeople reluctant to drive because of high fuel prices, the carts could help get them out of the house.

"Now, everybody's just staying at home, not going nowhere," said Woll. "This will at least let them ride around town."

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