Trophy Club council hears proposals on golf‑cart seat belts, underage driving and helmet rules for e‑bikes/scooters

Council members and police reviewed working‑group recommendations on golf carts and micromobility devices and discussed whether to pursue ordinance changes, enforcement strategies and education campaigns.

Police and the working group recommended focusing any ordinance language on child safety rather than universal seat‑belt mandates for all golf carts. The presentation noted that Texas law does not require golf carts to be equipped with seat belts, but if seat belts are present state law requires occupants to wear them. The police recommended consulting the town attorney and considering language targeted to children — for example, requiring child‑safety restraints or seat belts for small children carried on a golf cart — rather than a blanket adult seat‑belt mandate.

The council and police described underage driving as a major enforcement concern. Officers reported limited citations for golf‑cart violations (presented as a relatively small number — about 15 violations referenced) but said officers regularly conduct education and contact with parents and youths. The police said enforcement has emphasized education in driveways and at school dropoff points when officers encounter underage drivers.

Council members and residents raised practical questions about any new age or seat‑belt rules: how they would be enforced, whether a requirement would push parents to use cars instead of carts, and how rules would apply to golfers moving between home and course. The chief summarized the tension: laws can be created, but “until you can push some responsibility down to the children and to the parents, laws are not going to take care of it.” Council members asked staff to draft ordinance options that prioritize child safety and to work with the town attorney on enforceable language.

The presentation also proposed model micromobility rules to address electric bicycles and scooters: helmet requirements for young riders (examples cited from neighboring Flower Mound), lights at night, and discouraging use of phones or headsets that limit rider awareness. Speakers discussed the difficulty of enforcing helmet and phone rules for youth without reliable age verification, so staff framed these measures as primarily educational, backed by targeted enforcement where feasible. The presentation suggested the town could follow a pattern of adopting local rules in advance of state action, as the town did earlier with a school‑zone prohibition that later became state law.

The working‑group member Royce Laber described repeated observations of groups of children riding while distracted by phones and noted adults operating larger, faster motorized bikes on sidewalks with children nearby, which he said increases collision risk.

Staff told the council they will draft sample ordinance language focused on child safety in golf carts and proposed micromobility rules and bring options back for further council review; education efforts with schools, SROs and community messaging will continue in parallel.