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QUINCY, ILL. -- With gas prices rising, people are looking at alternative ways to get around.

One option that some people have thought of is driving a golf cart.

Another is a neighborhood electric vehicle, or NEVs.

They're cheap, compact, and great in the summer.

But are there rules for driving them on city streets?

NEVs have become pretty popular, especially in a town like Quincy where most speed limits are 30 miles per hour or less.

Traeder's TNT Yamaha owner Terry Traeder says, "It came from the foundation of a golf cart and they just put it on steroids virtually. It does run a lot faster. Your typical golf cart will run at 12 miles per hour to 15 miles per hour. These will do up to 25 miles per hour."

You can get speed upgrades on your golf cart to make them faster, but they still have to be street legal. Any motor vehicle you drive on the street needs seat belts, sideview mirrors, a horn, headlamps, tail lamps, break lights, and turn signals. One benefit to owning a N-E-V is they don't run on gas.

"Every cart comes with a battery charger that you plug into your socket at home. Your 110 socket. You just plug it in at night. You have battery gauges on them that tells you what your battery life is so if you are getting low, you can look at your gauge and plug it in. Or if you stop somewhere you can plug it in at any store," said Traeder. 

An NEV like this one costs between $7,000 and $12,000. But the cost to charge the battery?

Traeder says, "When you talk about 40 miles to a charge and it costs you about 50 cents when you break it out, that's a pretty good miles per gallon ratio."

Newer models will have doors and heaters for the winter, so they can be driven year round. Even though these vehicles are similar to a car, you still have to be careful.

"They could be somewhat of a safety issue if you're not paying attention. You are virtually like a scooter or a motorcycle. A car is going to out-weigh you so you have to pay attention," said Traeder.

One more thing to remember... your vehicle does have to be registered and insured.

And all driving laws still apply.

In the meantime, do you own a golf cart?  Do you use it to get to work?  We want to hear from you in our comments thread below or on Facebook ... tell us why you like it.   You can even upload a photo of you on your golf cart to our Facebook page!