Being a once-in-a-while golfer, I was interested in an article I read recently concerning the rise in golf-cart accidents. Among the accidents the article highlighted: a woman in Indiana died in June when a golf cart being driven by someone who had been drinking crashed into a creek. From personal experience, I can say that a good friend had her shoulder shattered when she was hit by a golf cart while on the course.
Now, golf carts are supposed to be safe vehicles, even as we drive them without much concern all over the golf course (and off the golf path). But accidents and resulting injuries are going to occur, and the questions then arise: Who is responsible, and who is going to pay for the injury claims?
The driver will no doubt look to his Homeowners' policy or even his Personal Auto policy for protection.
The standard Homeowners' policy excludes coverage for motor-vehicle liability, and a motor vehicle is defined as a self-propelled land vehicle, which would include a golf cart. However, the policy then declares that the exclusion does not apply to a motor vehicle designed for recreational use off public roads and not owned by an insured (the exception also applies to a motorized golf cart that is owned by an insured, under certain conditions). So the Homeowners' policy will offer coverage for the insured if he or she inadvertently runs over a fellow golfer and causes some bodily injury.
The Personal Auto policy addresses golf-cart liability coverage in a different manner. The liability-insuring agreement applies for the ownership or use of any auto. But auto is not a defined term in the standard Personal Auto policy, so this begs the question as to whether the insured would have coverage for a golf-cart accident since a case can be made that a golf cart is not actually an auto.
The policy excludes liability coverage for the ownership or use of any vehicle designed mainly for use off public roads—but then states that the exclusion does not apply to any non-owned golf cart. (Golf carts owned by the insured can be covered through the use of an endorsement to the Personal Auto policy.)
The Personal Auto policy insurer would most probably prefer to have the coverage under the Homeowners' policy, but if the insured has both coverages with the same insurer that issue would not be a problem.
The bottom line, fellow golfers, is that we don't need to worry about whether we are driving uninsured motor vehicles when we drive our golf carts—unless we want to use that as an excuse for shooting 20 or 30 over par.
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