75% QLD Buggy injuries happen in Whitsundays

Most golf cart accidents don't occur on a golf course anywhere in in Queensland, but on Whitsunday Islands, says Mackay doctor Alexey Borshch .

Golf buggy accidents caught Dr Borshch's attention when he noticed that 38 per cent occurred at holiday resorts and only 35 per cent on a golf course. However, regionalizing the statistics,  75 per cent of the injuries caused by golf buggies occurred in the Whitsunday islands tourist mecca, served by the Mackay and Proserpine hospitals, which Dr Borshsch said was 'significant'.


Dr Borshch said "The use of golf carts is generally considered safe because of their low speed, simplicity and wide availability, However, when injuries do occur they tend to be serious and potentially life threatening, generally involving expulsion from the vehicle."

While the data does not identify which island resorts the accidents occurred at, us locals know that almost all the buggy accidents that cause injury (and many deaths) in the Whitsundays occur on Hamilton Island.

23 per cent of all golf buggy accidents in Queensland occurred in the Brisbane region, and 1 per cent in Mt Isa. Almost all the others were from "the Whitsunday Islands".

Dr Borshch said that most of the injuries that occured while using golf buggies could have be prevented by the routine use of lap-belts, brakes on all four wheels, by confining the carts to safe terrain and by banning drivers from drinking.

Dr Borshch will be presenting his findings at a medical symposium in Townsville tomorrow.

Editors Note: The writing may be on the wall for Hamilton Island buggies. Micro cars from India and Europe can now be bought for less than a golf buggy, and Electric cars are becoming cheaper. It will be a sad day when the last buggy leaves the island, but it will be for the best, for our guests and residents.
When I lived there between 2000 and 2004, I knew of three deaths from buggy accidents. One of the most famous accidents was a group of four men who were attending a famous footballers wedding had a high speed smash into a wall - one of those men had to have his leg(s) amputated.

Related Stories:
4 Nov 2010 - Child falls from buggy
3 Mar 2010 - Golf buggy crash leaves pair in hospital 
9 Feb 2010 - Korean tourist injured in a golf buggy acident
4 Nov 2009 - Young woman crippled as Hamilton Island buggy flips
2 Oct 2008 - Boy, 6, dies after falling from Hamilton Island buggy
2006 . . . . . . Luke Jones, now 27, lost his right leg when buggy overturned.
19 Oct 2003 - 3 rescue chopper crew die enroute to Hamilton Island to pick up buggy crash victim

Sources
AAP