A man has been fined and banned from driving for more than a year after riding an electric scooter while exceeding the legal alcohol limit in Taunton.
The man, in his 30s, was banned from driving for 20 months and forced to pay £ 380 after pleading guilty to driving an electric scooter while intoxicated.
When officers arrested the offender last month, a roadside breathalyzer showed he was over double the legal alcohol limit.
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Police have now issued a stern warning to electric scooter drivers about the dangers the new vehicles pose to road users and pedestrians.
A statement from Avon and Somerset Constabulary said: “A man was banned from driving for 20 months and fined £ 380 after admitting to driving an electric scooter when he was over the legal blood alcohol limit.
The man, in his thirties, passed double the legal limit on a road breathalyzer test after being stopped from driving the scooter on Taunton Road, Bridgwater at 5:55 am on May 6.
“He appeared in Taunton Deane Magistrates’ Court on Friday, June 18, where he pleaded guilty to drunk driving.
“In addition to the ban and the fine, he will also have to pay court costs of £ 85.”
PC Ryan Burr said: “Electric scooters are classified as motor vehicles for the purposes of the law.
“As such, whether it is used on a road, sidewalk or public place, anyone who decides to drive it while exceeding the blood alcohol limit risks the same consequences as if it were to take the steering wheel of a car.
“Electric scooters may not be able to drive at high speeds, but in the hands of a person who is impaired by alcohol, they can still pose a danger to other road users and pedestrians. “
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Source: www.somersetlive.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-06-21 17:24:02
