Patrick and Brittany Mahomes left an event in Miami Friday night in a golf cart ... and at least a couple people were hanging off the sides of it -- a move eerily similar to what John Elway's friend was apparently doing before he fell.

Photogs captured the two stars leaving club Carbone Beach in Miami ahead of the F1 Grand Prix in the area ... sitting in the back of a street legal golf cart.

They're not the only people on it, either ... there's a driver, next to two others in the front -- one of whom doesn't appear to be in an actual seat -- with at least two people holding on to the sides of the back.

It's unclear if these are just friends of the Mahomes family or security guards ... but the whole vehicle is packed either way -- and, the golf cart ends up going up on to the curb to get around traffic, making the whole ride pretty bumpy.

The golf cart isn't going 100 on the freeway or anything like that BTW ... but, te it has quite a bit of pickup -- and, it certainly could've been dangerous if someone had fallen off.

As you know ... John Elway's longtime agent and friend Jeff Sperbeck died after falling fell off a golf cart recently.

Elway was driving the vehicle when Sperbeck fell off the back of it and hit his head on the asphalt. Authorities are still looking into his death -- though we've been told it appears to be nothing more than a "horrific accident." Jeff was 62 years old.

We obtained photos of Elway at a swanky party just a couple hours before his death ... and, it looked like he was having a good time before the tragedy occurred.