BS: DUI on a Bike

Subject: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Ron Davies
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 10:37 AM

Here in the DC area a guy has just been arrested and convicted for driving under the influence of alcohol while riding a bike (no motor involved). He evidently almost hit a child and then fell off his bike. I heard it on NPR last night--can't find any details online.

It turns out quite a few US jurisdictions cover bikes under DUI statutes.   There is an article (St Petersburg Times) (FL) 3 Sept 2009 online about 2 arrests in one day for this.

What's the story elsewhere, especially in the UK?   Any information or stories?

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: artbrooks
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 11:01 AM

Sounds right to me. According to the (US) Uniform Motor Vehicle Code, "11-1202. Traffic laws apply to persons on bicycles and other human powered vehicles. Every person propelling a vehicle by human power or riding a bicycle shall have all of the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of any other vehicle under chapters 10 and 11, except as to special regulations in this article and except as to those provisions which by their nature can have no application."

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Ebbie
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 12:04 PM

Happened on our Franklin street too, awhile back. The guy still rides his bike but he may have learned not to drink and pedal.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 12:45 PM

Yup, friend of mine was done for it, a few years back. He stopped, parked his bike, and went behind a tree for a piss, and when he reappeared, there were 2 nice policemen, who asked him to blow in their wee baggie.
That was in the good old days before single use mouth piece, alcometers

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Alice
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 01:13 PM

The Bozeman police reports just had a report of a drunken woman riding a bike "A drunken woman who fell off her bike in the middle of West Babcock Street was warned at 2:08 a.m."

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Sorcha
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 04:42 PM

I 'think' that Agricultural vehicles are exempt in Wyoming. Not certain about that, but I know a guy who got a DUI, lost his liscence for a while and drove his tractor to town to get beer. As far as I know he was never pulled over.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Riginslinger
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 04:45 PM

There was a guy in California who got a DUI while riding a horse. I mean, surely the horse knew where it was going.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Riginslinger
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 04:47 PM

Then there was another guy who got a DUI while he was going down the street on a riding lawn mower, but I guess it's self propelled, so...

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 05:02 PM

George Jones got nailed on his ride-on mower.
In Canada the law applies to bikes and boats as well.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Bobert
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 09:20 PM

Well, yeah... About four years ago I had the infamous "Donnie-Ima-Drunk" working fir me... Donnie lived up the end of the holler and like most drunks here (especially the ones who also don't read) he never had a drivers license... I had this ol' riding mower that the deck had gone bad on and was just using it to pull a little dump trailer with and Donnie asked if he could use it to drive to and from work...

"Well, sure, Donnie"...

All went well for a few days when the deputy sheriff pulled up the driveway and suggested that maybe it would be an good idea to drive Donnie home at the end of the day 'er he was gonna have to bust him fir DUI... I kinda thought he was jokin' but this weren't no joke so I had to take the tractor back from him...

BTW, here in Page County when someone finally looses their license fir good for DUIs then they can buy a new motor scooter, drive it without and helmit, insurance, tag or, ahhhhhhh, a friggin' drivers license??? Go figgure... There's prolly 50 to 100 of these folks on motor scooters and all fir the same reason...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Riginslinger
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 10:02 PM

They do that in Oregon too, Bobert. For a long time I couldn't figure out why all these middle aged men were riding around on motor scooters.

            But what about that guy who got tagged while riding a horse, though, doesn't that seem a little over the top?

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Amos
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 10:03 PM

What, you think the horse would tell him where to get off?


A

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Sorcha
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 10:13 PM

Don't think a horse counts here, but one good ole' cowboy got a Public Drunkeness citation the 2nd time he fell OFF his horse that was hitched in front of the bar......

Designated Driver in Wyoming is a 'cow dog' in front of the cowboy in the saddle. (OF COURSE the horse knows where he is going......)

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: mrdux
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 10:15 PM

here in oregon, after having a bit to much beer (or other ingestables, remembering that this is oregon), one can get busted for riding a bicycle or a lawn mower on the street or other places open to the public, like grocery store parking lots. same goes for operating a boat on any body of water. busting intoxicated college students biking home of an evening has become something of a cash cow for some college towns.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Riginslinger
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 10:20 PM

"busting intoxicated college students biking home of an evening has become something of a cash cow for some college towns."


             Frankly, that seem plum fuckin' stupid to me.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: mrdux
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 10:23 PM

no disagreement here. . . but tell it to the eugene city council.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Riginslinger
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 10:32 PM

What are the chances they'll listen?

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Sorcha
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 10:42 PM

Oh, and in this town at least, a person who has permanently lost their liscence to DUI (or just simply can't GET one) can get a dispensation from the Police Department for an enclosed 'all weather golf cart'


Is that stupid or what? If you can't drive, you can't DRIVE! And golf carts go so slow they are a real hazard in any traffic at all! (Not that we have any 'real' traffic, but STILL!)

Wyoming...booze,tractors,horses and golf carts...come on out!

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: catspaw49
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 11:14 PM

Well............About 30 miles up the road from me is Newark, Ohio, and folks there take the beer drinking seriously.......or at least this guy did. About a year ago this idiot was cited for Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence (OVI) when he crashed his MOTORIZED BAR STOOL.

A News Report with a portion of the 911 call.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 11:18 PM

"then they can buy a new motor scooter, drive it without and helmet"

... presumably so the next crash will be fatal, thereby getting them off the roads for good?

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: katlaughing
Date: 24 Apr 10 - 11:27 PM

I can't find a copy online, but one of my fav. postcards from WY was of a couple of kids who'd obviously ridden their horses after getting drunk. One horse's neck is compressed into an accordion shape having been run, head on, into a tree. The caption said something about "what are you going to tell your pa?!" I may be remembering it incorrectly, but you get the idea.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: mrdux
Date: 25 Apr 10 - 12:16 AM

What are the chances they'll listen?

    somewhere between slim and nonexistent.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 25 Apr 10 - 02:09 AM

The same rules apply in the UK. If you are on the road, in charge of a vehicle, whether powered by engine (over a certain cc) or legs, you are liable under the present Highway Code, laws and regulations - hence cyclists are supposed to stop at red lights, not cycle on the pavements (sidewalks), give pedestrians the right of way and not be chemically incapable of controling their vehicle. The same goes for horses as it's presumed that you (being a human and therefore allegedly intelligent) are in control of the horse, after all, the horse can't read the Highway Code.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Ron Davies
Date: 25 Apr 10 - 10:29 PM

"George Jones got nailed..."    Somebody put that in a recent country song (about 10 years ago).   I think it was called "Give Me One More Last Chance" ---...."She took my set of car keys/ But she forgot about my old John Deere...."   I think Vince Gill was the singer.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: olddude
Date: 25 Apr 10 - 10:50 PM

Guy here it town got picked up, driving his riding lawn mower, crossed the road with a beer in his hand, yup they nailed him ....

and should actually

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: olddude
Date: 25 Apr 10 - 10:51 PM

I wonder if they would for roller blades, I bet it fits that statute listed above but I never heard of anyone getting picked up on skates

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Wolfgang
Date: 26 Apr 10 - 12:15 PM

in Germany: From 0.05 % blood alcohol on, automobile/motorbike etc. drivers risk their permit even if the alcohol doesn't show in their behaviour.

This threshold is 0.16 % for cyclists.

For pedestrians (roller skates, sledges, wheelchairs, etc are treated like pedestrians), there is no fixed limit yet, but from 0.25 % on you risk your driving licence too.

These are the limits when the alcohol doesn't show in your behaviour. If it does and/or you are involved in an accident, you may roughly take half of the above mentioned limits as the threshold for losing the licence.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Ron Davies
Date: 26 Apr 10 - 08:37 PM

Wolfgang--

Can you really, as a pedestrian--just walking-- lose your driver's license if your blood alcohol count is above 0.25%?

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Ron Davies
Date: 26 Apr 10 - 08:40 PM

Also "no fixed limit yet" i.e. the authorities are thinking about a fixed limit for pedestrians?

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Sorcha
Date: 26 Apr 10 - 09:04 PM

In this town anyway, the Pedestrian Limit is the same as the driving limit...   .08

BUT you only get nailed for public intox if you are causing some OTHER problem, not just for walking home nicely.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: Ron Davies
Date: 27 Apr 10 - 07:15 AM

I expect that may be the answer elsewhere;   that you wouldn't get picked up for alcohol testing unless you were causing another problem.

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Apr 10 - 07:39 AM

In the UK the offence (Licensing act, 1872) is called "Drunk In Charge" and is occasionally used, though it's pretty rare. As has been mentioned, any vehicle on a highway or in a public place iscovered. There is a maximum sentence of 1 month's imprisonment or a £200 fine.

Riding a bicycle while drunk can get you a £1,000 fine and there is also a £200 maximum fine for "Cycling Furiously".

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: DUI on a Bike
From: IanC
Date: 27 Apr 10 - 12:49 PM

omigawd ... that guest above was mre (cookieless). Sorry.