Golf carts are popular, and not just on golf courses. Aside from the links, there are plenty of areas around Pennsylvania where golf carts are used as everyday modes of transportation. However, it is crucial for individuals to understand that they must obey traffic laws on a golf cart, including laws surrounding driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. You can get a DUI on a golf cart, and this can have serious consequences.
Pennsylvania DUI Laws
In the state of Pennsylvania, the legal blood alcohol level (BAC) for a person to be considered impaired is .08%, much like it is across the rest of the country. Under the law in the Commonwealth, there are various levels of DUI that a person can sustain, and each of these levels comes with different types of consequences.
- General Impairment (.08 to .099% BAC)
- High BAC (.10 to .159% BAC)
- Highest BAC (.16% BAC and higher)
As a brief example of the consequences, a person who is arrested for a general impairment offense and has no prior DUI offenses could receive the following consequences:
- A misdemeanor charge
- Up to six months on probation
- A $300 fine
- The requirement to attend alcohol highway safety school
- Alcohol treatment, if ordered
If a person has one prior DUI offense and is arrested for general DUI impairment, the consequences increase. This includes:
- 12-month license suspension
- 5 days to six months in jail
- A fine of up to $2,500
- One year ignition interlock device requirement
- Alcohol highway safety school
- Alcohol treatment, if ordered
The penalties that a person receives for a High BAC or Highest BAC charge significantly increase, even if a person has no prior DUI offenses.
How do These Laws Apply to Golf Carts?
Senate Bill 785 in Pennsylvania makes it legal for golf carts to travel for up to one mile on normal roadways in the Commonwealth. It is legal for a golf cart to cross the highway even if the cart is not being used in a game of golf. However, golf carts cannot be driven on a public roadway after dark.
Anyone over the age of 12 in Pennsylvania can legally operate a golf cart on a public road, but to cross a highway, a person must be at least 16 years old.
Because golf carts are legal on public roadways, it is certainly possible for a person to be pulled over and charged with DUI if they operate these vehicles under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The consequences for a DUI charge on a golf cart will match the consequences of a DUI inside of any other type of motorized vehicle.
Contact an Attorney Today
If you or somebody you care about has received a DUI while operating a golf cart in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we encourage you to reach out to an attorney immediately. A skilled West Chester West Chester criminal defense lawyer can investigate the facts of your case and begin crafting the best possible defense moving forward. A DUI conviction can lead to significant setbacks in your life, including a permanent criminal record. Let an attorney get to work on your case as soon as possible.