MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Changes to South Carolina’s moped and golf cart laws are now in effect, and the penalties for breaking them are much tougher.
The City of Myrtle Beach is hoping the new moped and golf cart laws help keep everyone on the roads safer.
“People like the idea of not getting in the car, but to get to a place by driving a golf cart or a moped, so that’s an attractive thing for folks to use, but it comes with some risks when you’re driving not a vehicle on the public streets,” Mark Kruea, spokesperson for the City of Myrtle Beach said.
According to officials, sometimes people don’t always follow all of the laws when driving mopeds and golf carts.
Myrtle Beach says they receive complaints about mopeds speeding, weaving in and out of traffic, and driving in the left lane, however, the city is hoping the new regulations will cut down on these problems.
Starting Monday, mopeds need to be registered, its drivers need to have a valid license, they can’t drive faster than 35 mph, and they’ll need to travel in the right lane.
“This puts some additional regulations on mopeds to make sure they’re safe and they’re registered; that everybody understands what those requirements are for mopeds because before there weren’t nearly as many requirements, so I think that’s a plus,” Kruea said.
The new moped laws come with harsher penalties, such as an up to $200 dollar fine, or even up to 30 days in jail.
“Generally we’re very fortunate that there aren’t more accidents involving mopeds, but when there is one, it’s usually a very serious injury. Moped versus care is never a good thing, so anything we can do to protect the rider, making sure the riders of mopeds are driving those vehicles lawfully, that they aren’t causing problems for drivers, that they’re staying in the right lane, that they can’t exceed the 35 mph speed limit; all of those things are good things from a safety point of view,” Kruea said.
As for golf carts, the only real change was that the state penalty was put back into law, meaning if you’re caught driving one illegally, you may have to pay up to a $100 fine, or serve up to 30 days in jail.
