Discussion on Advantages and Disadvantages of Golf Carts

Golf-N-Go’s

Golf-N-Go’s cars that are not able to go faster than 19 miles per hour are not subject to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulations. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as long as golf carts and other similar vehicles are incapable of exceeding 20 miles per hour, they are subject to only state and local regulations. However, if these vehicles are built to go 20 miles per hour or faster, they are treated as motor vehicles under Federal law. (para 3)

If a golf cart is beefed up and modified to go 20 miles per hour or faster, then they fall under the same category as a regular street legal vehicle. At this point they must comply with the Federal motor vehicle safety standards. Therefore if Golf-N-Go manufactures carts that are capable of going 25 to 35 miles per hour, they will be subject to the NHTSA regulations.

According to the bill analysis and fiscal impact statement, introduced by Senator Hayes of the Florida State Senate Bill #62, section B, “the Florida Legislature in 1999 first authorized the operation of low speed vehicles (LSVs)” (p. 2). At that time only electric powered low speed vehicles where allowed. This would allow those people who could use them for neighborhood travel to eliminate their need for gas powered vehicles. Senate Bill 62 amends section 319.14, Florida Statutes. It creates a legal procedure to convert a LSV to a golf cart. As a golf cart, the owner no longer has to register the vehicle, display a license plate on the vehicle, or insure the vehicle. The vehicle operator is no longer required to carry their driver license with them while operating the golf cart, as they would a vehicle registered as a LSV.

A disadvantage for allowing golf carts to travel on certain public roads is it creates a conflict with the state and local laws because compliance with the full range of those standards is not feasible for these small vehicles. Another disadvantage is the growing use of golf carts has already resulted in some deaths and serious injuries. This can be overcomed if golf carts can be permitted to drive on residential neighborhood roads and school zone roads only, and not allowed to be driving on more major roads that are used to travel across town with higher speed limits. Also they can require low speed vehicles to be equipped with headlamps, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, tail lamps, reflex reflectors, parking brakes, rearview mirrors, windshields, seat belts to make them more safe.

One major advantage is that golf carts do not use gasoline and are much better for the environment than regular cars. Another advantage is they are smaller and take up less parking space. Another advantage is golf carrs will create less wear and tear on the roads because they lighter.

The contractual and dispute resolution issues that Golf-N-Go must resolve with the Chinese firm is the choice of law clause. If a dispute rises, they need to know up front what court system will decide the dispute. The choice-of-law clause law is a “clause in an agreement that specifies which law will govern should a dispute arise.” (Twomey, 2014, p. 114)

When doing business in foreign nations, trading issues may arise. For example “Licensing involves the transfer of technology rights in a product so that it may be produced by a different business organization in a foreign country in exchange for royalties and other payments as agreed.” (Twomey, 2012, 120) The company in China may want to begin producing some items and not pay Golf-N-Go the appropriate royalty payments.