Overview
- An analysis of nationally representative emergency‑department data from 2010–2023 identified 1,419 sampled cases mapping to an estimated 53,855 pediatric golf cart injuries, averaging about 3,846 per year.
- The authors report a steady increase over the past three years based on the NEISS data reviewed by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia team.
- Nearly half of injuries involved children 12 or younger, the mean age was about 11, and roughly 90% of those injured were male.
- Falls accounted for about 50% of cases and collisions or cart overturns about 36%, with head, face, and neck injuries most common and about half of all injuries classified as superficial.
- The findings were presented as an abstract at the AAP 2025 meeting in Denver, and recent state actions include South Carolina’s seat‑belt requirement for children on public roads and Florida’s permit or license rule for teen drivers.