NIXA, Mo. — The City of Nixa posted on Facebook a reminder for residents to follow golf cart regulations.

The post comes days after a 16-year-old was hospitalized when the golf cart she was riding in crashed into a parked car. The driver of the golf cart was 16.

“Every summer we seem to get some reports of folks out there driving golf carts without permits on their golf carts are not following the rules of the road for golf carts or kids driving golf carts,” said Drew Douglas, the communications director for Nixa.

Jen Passanise lives in Nixa and says she rarely sees anyone not being safe.

“I really haven’t,” Passanise said. “A few, maybe teenagers. They might be able to speed them up a little bit, but I haven’t seen much of that anymore.”

She said she mainly uses her golf cart in the summer months.

“We like to drive to the pool and load our pool toys up but safely cross the streets that we’re not supposed to drive on,” Passanise said.

“A golf cart may not be operated on any state highway,” Douglas said. “So that’s 160, CC and 14. The kind of main highways through town, you can’t drive a golf cart on those either. Not even on the shoulder.”

The restrictions have been in place since 2018.

“It’s absolutely a safety issue,” Douglas said. “The main thing here is that we want folks to be safe on city streets. We don’t want people to get hurt or to get in accidents. The regulations are there for a reason, and that’s for safety and for to keep people safe and healthy.”