As geocaches have multiplied worldwide, golf cart ER injuries have grown, a correlation of 0.982 that connects outdoor navigation hobbies to vehicular injury in recreational settings with the GPS precision of a chart that tracks both the found and the fallen. The cache is hidden, the cart is crashed, and both numbers climb because more people are doing more things outdoors with more enthusiasm than training.
Active geocaches grew from about 1.5 million to over 3 million. Golf cart ER injuries grew as golf carts proliferated beyond golf courses into retirement communities, resorts, and suburban developments—the Consumer Product Safety Commission recorded roughly 18,000 golf cart injuries per year by 2022. Both trends measure the expansion of outdoor recreation: geocaching because the hobby grew, golf cart injuries because the carts are now used for everything from neighborhood grocery runs to resort transportation, by drivers who often lack any training.
Eighteen years of geocaches and golf cart injuries is a correlation between two forms of recreational expansion: one digital and navigational, the other vehicular and dangerous. Both grew because more people pursued more outdoor activities with more technology and less caution. The cache is found. The cart is flipped. The ER visit is documented.
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Want to learn more about why correlations like “Active geocaches worldwide” vs “Golf cart ER injuries” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
