MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -
It might look fine now, but just a few months ago Carter Vance's golf cart was crippled.
"I was riding around and we took a really sharp turn, and it flipped over this way," says Vance.
He was sitting in the passenger's seat. His friend was driving.
Seconds later, the cart crashed.
"It just happened so fast. I didn't really realize that it happened till I was on the ground," says Vance.
"They're up to 13,000 accidents each year and that number we see growing," says his father, Gibson Vance.
Ironically, Gibson Vance is an attorney who often encounters golf cart crashes and lawsuits.
"We see serious injuries and even death," he says.
He says many carts don't have safety restraints--increasing the chances of injury.
"They break their necks or can be run over from somebody behind them or can hit a tree," says Gibson.
"It was really good that I had my seat belt on because if I hadn't, I probably would have broken a few limbs or maybe even worse," adds Carter.
But most parents don't know what is and isn't legal when it comes to golf carts.
State law says any vehicle on public streets must have certain safety features like head lights and tail lights, a windshield and seatbelts--features most golf carts don't have.
Drivers must also be 16.
Carter learned the hard way--forced to pay a portion of the $3,000 dollars worth in damages.
All the while, learning an even more valuable lesson.
"I thought that golf cart wrecks weren't a really big deal. But after that wreck I noticed that was a really big deal."
A golf cart that's driven on public streets must also be licensed.
Vance says it must pass inspection at the county tag office before they'll issue a license plate.
Vance also says your golf cart doesn't fall under homeowner's insurance.
It must have it's own insurance policy.
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