What Does a Golf Cart Need to Make it Street Legal?
Golf carts provide a fast and reliable form of transportation around golf courses, stadiums, and other large facilities. If you live in a small community, you may want to take your golf cart beyond the boundaries of these enclosed areas and drive your golf cart on the road. Before you can do that, though, you need to make sure that your golf cart is street legal.
To be street legal, a golf cart must have specific equipment that not all golf carts have. If you want to have a street-legal golf cart, you can stop by Richmond Equipment to get all that you need. Located in Richmond, Texas, and serving Houston and Rosenberg, you can quickly and easily outfit any type of golf cart to your exact specifications.
Safety Features
When you hit the road in your golf cart, you'll be sharing the road with other motorists. This means that your golf cart needs certain safety features in order to be street legal. For example, headlights, taillights, and turn signals are all crucial safety equipment that a street-legal golf cart can't do without. Even if you don't plan on driving at night, your golf cart must still be equipped with these warning lights if you want to hit the road.
Power Features
Although golf carts aren't exactly speed machines, a street-legal golf cart needs to be able to keep up with traffic so that you don't cause an accident. That's why a street-legal golf cart needs to be able to achieve and maintain a speed of at least 20 miles per hour. Since golf carts don't have doors, providing less safety, most states also have a maximum speed at which a golf cart can travel.
Staying Still
Of course, when you're driving on the road, speed isn't everything. Eventually, you'll need to bring your cart to a stop and make sure it stays in place. Therefore, among the equipment you'll need to make your cart street legal is a good set of brakes. You'll also need to help keep your cart from rolling into other cars if you park in an area that's at an incline, which is especially important if you have your cart loaded with gear.
Identification
If you drive your golf cart on the road, you'll need to pay taxes on it like you would any other type of vehicle. To help keep tax records accurate, you will need a vehicle identification number before you can take your cart cruising. This will also help you recover your cart if it is stolen.
With the right equipment, a golf cart can provide a great alternate method of transportation. At Richmond Equipment, we've got what you need to get your cart ready for the road. Stop by our location in Richmond, Texas, serving Houston and Rosenberg, for more information.