Drink driving ban in a kiddie car

[mybrainhurts]

This is getting silly...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1267136/Fa...



Edit..

If this is a repost, I don't give a toss...

Edited by mybrainhurts on Monday 19th April 14:51

[LukeBird]

[edo]

Did you read it? He had modified it with bigger wheels, and was on the main road?

also "He was given a mandatory three-year ban because he had received another drink-drive ban within the past ten years."

[cs02rm0]

Do you need a driving licence to drive kids toy cars on the road?

[hooperpride]

[Mr E Driver]

If he had hit a pothole and had an accident how would he have stood driving an unregistered car with no MOT, roadworthy cert or insurance?

[RobM77]

Surely it's illegal to drive such a thing on the road though? I'm very surprised that he was penalised under motoring laws though, because he wasn't using his driving license at the time.

[croyde]

So would this mean you could lose your car license if you are caught riding your bicycle after a couple of beers?

Seems very unfair as people with no car license cannot be punished so severely if caught drunk in charge of an electric Barbie car.

Another case of the law being a complete ass, when they have potentially ruined that bloke's life yet some thug can half kill an innocent bystander and just get a slap on the wrist.

Really beggars belief.

[rpguk]

So this bloke was actually on the public road at night, drunk, with previous for DD. The car was also subject to modifications which could mean anything really.

I don't think the magistrate was too far out of line. Indeed with the previous there was no room for manoeuvre.

And he looks a prize plum posing for the papers, seemingly with pride and with that stupid face on.

Edited by rpguk on Monday 19th April 15:09

[Matt Evans]

croyde said:

So would this mean you could lose your car license if you are caught riding your bicycle after a couple of beers?

I once heard that the law still supported deportation to Australia for being caught drunk in charge of a bicycle. Don't know how much truth there is in that.

I do wonder though, how many of these old boys get pulled over (or rather, get away) in their mobility scooters for either drink driving or dangerous driving? I bet there's quite a few that slip the net.

[rpguk]

croyde said:

So would this mean you could lose your car license if you are caught riding your bicycle after a couple of beers?

Seems very unfair as people with no car license cannot be punished so severely if caught drunk in charge of an electric Barbie car.

Another case of the law being a complete ass, when they have potentially ruined that bloke's life yet some thug can half kill an innocent bystander and just get a slap on the wrist.

Really beggars belief.

Apparantly you can lose your licencefor drunk in charge of bicycle.

I think the key issue here isn't that he was on a toy, but the fact he was on the road - without lights at night time. Even on a bicycle I'd say he'd have more control. On this he'd be a sitting duck if a car were to come along. If he were on the pavement I dare say the police would have just had a chuckle and left him too it.

Edited by rpguk on Monday 19th April 15:15

[Spiritual_Beggar]

Matt Evans said:

croyde said:

So would this mean you could lose your car license if you are caught riding your bicycle after a couple of beers?

I once heard that the law still supported deportation to Australia for being caught drunk in charge of a bicycle. Don't know how much truth there is in that.

I do wonder though, how many of these old boys get pulled over (or rather, get away) in their mobility scooters for either drink driving or dangerous driving? I bet there's quite a few that slip the net.

Or what about all these 4yr old kids getting pulled for 'Driving without a license'?

[kambites]

Spiritual_Beggar said:

Or what about all these 4yr old kids getting pulled for 'Driving without a license'?

All those 4 year old kids who drive their barbies cars two miles on the public road to a friend's house.

Edited by kambites on Monday 19th April 15:17

[RobM77]

Seems rather odd to me that the guy's driving license is at risk if he's in an unrelated vehicle. That seems unfair on motorists, given that anyone can ride a Barbie car drunk, whether they have a license or not, and cause exactly the same risk to public safety. It would be like taking a builder's contractor license away from him because he ran riot on a building site after a night out and damaged equipment, whereas if I did it I'd be punishable under different laws (damage to property and breaking and entering).

[off_again]

croyde said:

So would this mean you could lose your car license if you are caught riding your bicycle after a couple of beers?

Seems very unfair as people with no car license cannot be punished so severely if caught drunk in charge of an electric Barbie car.

Another case of the law being a complete ass, when they have potentially ruined that bloke's life yet some thug can half kill an innocent bystander and just get a slap on the wrist.

Really beggars belief.

Have you read the other comments here?

He was given a mandatory 3 year ban because he had a previous conviction for DD - so this was automatic. The electric car had been modified with bigger wheels which could / should have made it faster and the law is very exacting here - its a self-propelled vehicle. It needs to be road worthy, insured, taxed and have a valid MOT - mobility scooters are excepted from some of this but they MUST comply with specific criteria.

So in this case, its clear - he shouldnt have been driving it on the road (and the supplier of it originally will have made this VERY clear) and he was pissed. So driving on the public road (even slowly in an electric car) will get you banned. Pretty simple I am afraid.

Had he not been drunk and it would been a slap on the wrists at the roadside and move on. Drunk being the key thing here....

[kambites]

RobM77 said:

Seems rather odd to me that the guy's driving license is at risk if he's in an unrelated vehicle. That seems unfair on motorists, given that anyone can ride a Barbie car drunk, whether they have a license or not, and cause exactly the same risk to public safety. It would be like taking a builder's contractor license away from him because he ran riot on a building site after a night out and damaged equipment, whereas if I did it I'd be punishable under different laws (damage to property and breaking and entering).

You don't have to have a licence to get a driving ban. Anyone would have got a driving ban for this, how much effect that has on their life isn't really the court's concern.

[stuart-b]

If he was on the path there would have been nothing they could have done?

Poor form for calling that in though, what happened to getting a slap on the wrist and on your way you silly bugger?

Guess the officer in question made his quota for the day

[Spiritual_Beggar]

Does remind me of this a lot;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNPxIibhcKY

[RobM77]

kambites said:

RobM77 said:

Seems rather odd to me that the guy's driving license is at risk if he's in an unrelated vehicle. That seems unfair on motorists, given that anyone can ride a Barbie car drunk, whether they have a license or not, and cause exactly the same risk to public safety. It would be like taking a builder's contractor license away from him because he ran riot on a building site after a night out and damaged equipment, whereas if I did it I'd be punishable under different laws (damage to property and breaking and entering).

You don't have to have a licence to get a driving ban. Anyone would have got a driving ban for this, how much effect that has on their life isn't really the court's concern.

I didn't realise that. In that case then the decision seems fair to me, provided he's dealt with with equality I'm happy.

[Strangely Brown]

off_again said:

He was given a mandatory 3 year ban because he had a previous conviction for DD - so this was automatic. The electric car had been modified with bigger wheels which could / should have made it faster and the law is very exacting here - its a self-propelled vehicle. It needs to be road worthy, insured, taxed and have a valid MOT - mobility scooters are excepted from some of this but they MUST comply with specific criteria.

So in this case, its clear - he shouldnt have been driving it on the road (and the supplier of it originally will have made this VERY clear) and he was pissed. So driving on the public road (even slowly in an electric car) will get you banned. Pretty simple I am afraid.

OK. If that toy car qualifies as a self-propelled vehicle for the purposes of road traffic legislation and requires a licence, tax, insurance and MOT, and is sufficient that the charges were warranted...


... then why are children allowed to drive them on the pavement without a licence, tax, insurance or MOT?

Seems to me like a pathetically frivolous charge and definitions being bent to suit. Either it's a toy, and kids can drive it; or it's a vehicle and they can't. You can't have it both ways.