Victorian law used against scooter driver
A man from Darlington has been arrested after he gave a lift to a friend on his mobility scooter while three times over the legal alcohol limit.
Nigel Lee Drummond was arrested by Police after he was recorded by surveillance CCTV weaving erratically through the streets of Darlington at 8mph after he and his friend left a local bar.
But because mobility scooters do not count as cars under normal drink driving laws, Drummond was arrested under an obscure Victorian law – which bans being drunk in charge of a carriage.
Police warned that, while mobility scooters don’t go very fast, they can still pose a hazard to pedestrians and other road users. PC Kevin Salter of Darlington Police commented: ‘He was very drunk.’
Drummond was given a six-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £65 costs.