City leaders are considering what Fountain Inn’s future as a “golf cart” community will look like after South Carolina state legislators passed a bill with new rules of the road for the vehicles and their operators that Gov. Henry R. McMaster signed into law in late May.
The new state law requires seat belts be used on the golf carts for children, ages 12 and under, but it also gives cities such as Fountain Inn the ability to set their own rules as to where and when the golf carts can be driven on South Carolina roadways.
“We are in the process of evaluating what are those restrictions or things that we want to allow,” said City Administrator Shawn Bell, who is also a golf cart owner and uses it regularly to transport himself and his family to events downtown. “Because right now, state law says you’re not supposed to drive golf carts at night. This new law says that if a municipality would like to allow golf carts at night, if they have working lights, then that’s something that we can offer.”…