Cart for parents

[Slowmo]

My wife's parents can no longer drive. Mom has had multiple strokes and Dad can no longer pass the vision test to renew his license. They feel trapped in the house and I suggested a golf cart so they could get out a bit. The have a shopping center (Target, Best Buy, bunch of others) and probably close to 10 restaurants within 2 miles of their house. They love the idea. My only concern is that it's not the best area and I'm worried about someone stealing it while they are shopping or eating. Do you guys have any recommendations on carts or know of a good way to lock it up so it can't just be put in neutral and pushed away?

 

[Raiderboost]

When I worked at the F1 race at COTA we had a cable with combination lock that you would run around the bar going to the roof and through the steering wheel so that it can't be turned very much.

 

[Outthere]

Pedal lock connects to steering wheel or you could get a tire clamp. Some people install a hidden kill switch.

 

[WLG1952]

Kill switch sounds more viable than any locking device that involves the steering wheel.

I had one of those big red steel gizmos on the steering wheel/brake pedal on my Land Cruiser. It was still stolen. We recovered most of the vehicle. We found that the thief had used a saw to cut through the steering wheel.

As an experiment I took a battery sawzall and cut through the steering wheel in two places, in under 30seconds. Something to think about.

 

[Chef23]

Are they going to be driving the cart on the roads or are there non road ways to get where they are going.

To go 2 miles they could do a lot of Ubers and it might be safer.

 

[Slowmo]

Are they going to be driving the cart on the roads or are there non road ways to get where they are going.

To go 2 miles they could do a lot of Ubers and it might be safer.

They should be able to stick mostly to sidewalks. There is one place where there is a bridge that the sidewalk might not be wide enough for a cart so they may need to be on the road for 100ft give or take. They will also need to cross the road to get to some of the restaurants. The biggest concern is really trying to restore their feeling of freedom, Dad just lost his drivers license end of August.

 

[vintagebob]

https://atomiccoolkartz.com/products/atomic-coupe?sku=atomic-coupe_pewter

regular doors with wireless locking.

 

[Raiderboost]

They should be able to stick mostly to sidewalks. There is one place where there is a bridge that the sidewalk might not be wide enough for a cart so they may need to be on the road for 100ft give or take. They will also need to cross the road to get to some of the restaurants. The biggest concern is really trying to restore their feeling of freedom, Dad just lost his drivers license end of August.

I would check local laws. In Texas golf carts are considered a motor vehicle and must be registered and have lights, license plate, slow moving emblem, etc. unless in a specified community/neighborhood where they are allowed. I'm also not sure if he would be allowed to drive one without a DL. I work in insurance and we have several golf neighborhoods nearby so we insure quote a few. They are considered an auto policy so we have to have a valid DL to insure them. Just a few things to think about as you don't want them to get in trouble.

 

[Maric]

Around here golf carts are not allowed on sidewalks and you must have a driver's license. they are also not allowed on roads were the speed limit is over 35 miles per hour. Make sure you check out your local laws, penalties around here are steep. Uber/Lyft is probably a better solution.

 

[Chef23]

They should be able to stick mostly to sidewalks. There is one place where there is a bridge that the sidewalk might not be wide enough for a cart so they may need to be on the road for 100ft give or take. They will also need to cross the road to get to some of the restaurants. The biggest concern is really trying to restore their feeling of freedom, Dad just lost his drivers license end of August.

Are carts allowed on sidewalks? if they have to cross roads and drive the cart on roads this idea sounds dangerous. I am not sure I would put my parents out there like that.