BALD HEAD ISLAND, N.C. — After a Charlotte woman lost her life while leaving her wedding reception, when a drunken driver rear-ended the golf car she was driving, a focus has been put on golf cart safety in coastal towns.

What You Need To Know

  • The woman died April 28 in Folly Beach, South Carolina

  • Police say the driver was going over twice the speed limit

  • Three others in the golf cart were injured

Alan May, the chief of public safety on Bald Head Island, stresses education when it comes to golf carts. 

“We're all about education. We've got a Facebook site. We've got the Village Voice, which is a newsletter that gets published,” May said. 

As the warm weather begins to bring more people to the island, and the entire coast of North Carolina, May says there are many things that people need to be aware of. 

“Very dark at night. So that's another thing. You have to be especially attentive when you're driving a golf cart at night on this island,” May said. 

Golf cart drivers are held to the same rules as drivers on the mainland. 

“People think, especially visitors, that, oh, my 10-year-old can get behind the wheel and drive because it's a golf cart. And your 10-year-old does not have any experience driving at all. This is not a video game. You're actually on a roadway with people. So you have to be a licensed driver,” May said. 

After the fatal crash in South Carolina, May says that really can’t happen on his island. 

“We don't have a lot of vehicles on the road other than the contractors' vehicles. And we do have a lot of weddings on the island, but they're after normal business hours, I guess you could say. And the only carts, they're usually the only carts that are allowed to be on the road after sunset are golf carts,” May said. 

May says everyone operating a commercial vehicle knows the rule of not driving after sundown, since they are told that when they register their vehicles. 

“The commercial vehicles, the contractors' vehicles. They're strictly prohibited. And they know that when they get their permits or when they get their daily use permits, that they cannot be on the road after sunset, because there is no reason for them to be out there,” May said. 

The island also has many signs, so everyone knows where they can and can’t go, as well as the island-wide speed limit of 18 mph.

“We want to let people know that you can do things, and you can't do certain things,” May said. 

Ordinances regarding golf carts on Bald Head Island can be found on its website.

Its Facebook page also reviews many safety precautions.