Charleston County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a single-vehicle accident involving a recreational golf cart that happened just before 7 p.m. Jan. 10 in Drayton on the Ashley subdivision off Ashley River Road.
The Sunday death of Christopher Faulk, 46, of Charleston, is the fourth in recent years in the county related to a golf cart, a type of vehicle increasingly seen on city and neighborhood streets, according to Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal. Two others involved golf carts overturning, and the third was the tragic collision in Folly Beach that killed a newlywed bride in 2023.
Deputies responded to the scene on the 2800 block of South Palmer Drive, which is about 1.6 miles from the nearest golf course, after receiving multiple reports that a golf cart overturned on the street.
An initial investigation found the driver was turning at a high speed, causing the cart to overturn and eject the driver from the vehicle, trapping him under it, according to official reports. Charleston County EMS pronounced the driver, the only person in the cart, dead at the scene.
Alan L. Wilson, a resident of the neighborhood in which the accident took place, said he arrived at home that evening and was met with an array of flashing emergency lights.
“Multiple firefighters and officers surrounded the overturned cart and examined every foot of the area,” said Wilson, who delivers weekly issues of the Charleston City Paper. “I watched from my driveway only 20 feet from the scene. Unfortunately, investigating was all they could do.
“The aftermath has only just started. The cause of the crash, the investigation, the sadness of the family, friends and community will continue.”
Anyone with information related to the fatal crash is encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office at (843) 202- 1700.
Golf carts rising trend, concern
Golf carts have become an increasingly common presence on Lowcountry roads in the last few years, with city, county and state officials noting their rising popularity in a 2024 City Paper cover story.
“We’re seeing more and more of them these days,” Charleston Police Sgt. Christopher Stinson said in the report.
But people may be more hesitant to trade in their cars for the convenience of a cart if they understood how dangerous they can be. Golf carts lack many of the safety features that traditional vehicles have, from sturdier frames to seat belts.
That’s why there are rules and regulations in place to help keep cart operators safe when sharing the road with heavier, stronger vehicles. Unfortunately, it’s clear to anyone who encounters carts on a street that many of their drivers seem to operate as if rules are made to be broken.
“I have seen lots of incidents where it pops into my head, ‘That’s an accident waiting to happen,’” Wilson said. “Overcrowded seats, young drivers, fast carts, drivers with a child in their laps, driving in high-traffic areas, not following the laws and others. … Cart drivers and riders should understand that they have a greater chance of being injured in an accident.”
The S.C. Department of Public Safety (DPS) governs the South Carolina laws for golf carts, but the first thing to note is that all golf carts are considered motor vehicles subject to the same laws and regulations as any other:
- They must be insured.
- A driver has to have a valid license (so no 10-year-olds).
- They can’t be driven on a sidewalk.
- If they are parked at a meter, the driver will have to pay.
And on top of those rules, golf carts have a few more restrictions. Golf carts:
- Must have a state permit decal displayed but do not have to have license plate
- Can only be driven within four miles of the driver’s home
- Can only be operated on roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
- Can only be operated during daylight hours
- Cannot be parked in Charleston garages, unless an emergency order is declared
- Cannot be used for commercial purposes in Charleston, such as a taxi
City officials said in 2024 they hoped to see more enforcement of the rules to prevent golf-cart related tragedies, but local leaders have not passed any new ordinances.
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