Can you get a DUI in SC while driving a bicycle, e-bike or golf cart? What the law says
As summer rolls on and more residents take to the outdoors using golf carts, e-bikes and bicycles, it’s important to know that South Carolina’s DUI laws extend well beyond the driver’s seat of a car.
Whether you’re pedaling a bike through your neighborhood or cruising a golf cart around your community, you can still be arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
Here’s what to know about South Carolina’s DUI laws and how they branch into all different forms of transportation.
What SC law says
South Carolina law makes it illegal to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs “to the extent that the person’s faculties to drive are materially and appreciably impaired.”
A blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher is considered legally intoxicated.
Penalties for a DUI in South Carolina vary depending on the number of prior offenses, but they can include fines up to thousands, imprisonment, driver’s license suspension and even vehicle confiscation.
What qualifies as a vehicle?
Under South Carolina law, a vehicle is broadly defined as any device that can transport people or goods on public roads.
This definition includes golf carts, bicycles and electric bicycles (e-bikes) as they are expected to be treated as vehicles on roadways.
As such, DUI laws apply to all of these modes of transportation, not just cars or trucks. Here’s what to know about these laws and how they apply to these modes of transportation.
Golf carts
Driving a golf cart while impaired can lead to a DUI, even on private property, like country clubs, golf courses or resort communities.
In many residential areas where golf carts are legally used on public roads, the risk is just as real.
While it might seem harmless to drive a golf cart back from a neighborhood party, if you’re impaired and caught by law enforcement, you could face the same charges and penalties as you would behind the wheel of a car.
In larger incidents like disturbing the peace, an accident or an event that results in injuries to others, more charges can occur other than a golf cart DUI, according to Progressive.
E-bikes
South Carolina classifies electric bicycles as vehicles due to their similar operation to traditional bikes and because of their motorized capability.
Therefore, operating one under the influence can be subject to the same DUI laws that apply to cars and motorcycles.
Officers can stop e-bike riders who appear intoxicated, especially if they are endangering themselves or others.
A conviction is the same as that of car drivers, meaning fines, license suspension or even jail time, depending on the severity of the offense.
Bicycles
Even though bicycles are not motorized, they are still legally considered vehicles under South Carolina law. That means the rules of the road apply to cyclists, too.
If a bicyclist is suspected of being intoxicated, officers are permitted to stop cyclists.
Though penalties may be less severe than those on motorized vehicles, riding a bike while drunk can still lead to issues.
According to state DUI lawyers, if a person riding a bicycle, e-bike or golf cart is so impaired that they pose a risk to themselves or others, they may be detained under public intoxication or endangerment laws, even if they are not formally charged with a DUI.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
