Status: 06/10/2023 1:05 p.m
E-scooters are popular and the trend continues. What the police are worried about: E-scooter drivers are regularly intoxicated. The same alcohol limit applies here as when driving a car.
Around 15 police officers are at a checkpoint in downtown Göttingen on Friday evening. In a large-scale campaign, e-scooters and cyclists are being systematically checked throughout the city. Because in Göttingen, as in all of Northern Germany, more and more e-scooter riders are driving and having accidents – many of them intoxicated. In the southern Lower Saxony city alone, more than 240 intoxicated e-scooter drivers were found in 2022, compared to a good 170 in the previous year.
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With the e-scooter from party to party
This is a worrying trend, says Jörg Arnecke, head of the Prevention Department of the Göttingen police. “There are many young people, mostly between the ages of 16 and 30, who use e-scooters, for example to go from one party to the next,” reports Arnecke from his everyday work. Especially on the weekends, the electric speedsters are used above average – especially in the later hours. This was found in a usage analysis of e-scooters by the mobility consultancy Civity. The Göttingen police are concerned that the scooters will be viewed more as fun toys and not as full-fledged means of transport. The trend of drunk and drug driving will continue to rise in 2023, says Arnecke.
E-scooters are motor vehicles, just like cars
Legally, e-scooters are considered motor vehicles. Therefore, the same alcohol limits apply as when driving a car. A driving ban threatens from 0.5 per mille, in the worst case the driver’s license is completely gone. Anyone who is caught with more than 0.5 per mille on the handlebars for the first time has to pay a fine of 500 euros. A one-month driving ban is also pending.
Head of operations: Talking at eye level brings more than a fine
The Göttingen police do not want to solve the problem with checks alone. “Talking to citizens on an equal footing usually achieves much more than simply imposing a fine,” explains Operations Manager André Hupp. The aim is to make e-scooter drivers aware of the rules so that drunk driving does not even take place in the future.
Alcohol involved? problems with insurance
Because more can happen than losing your driver’s license, says Arnecke: “The moment I drive the e-scooter under the influence of alcohol or intoxicants and cause an accident, I have to expect problems with claims settlement.” This means that the insurance company will not cover the damage in case of doubt. Significantly higher costs can be incurred by users than just a fine.
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Police President: Accident consequences are underestimated
Drunk driving is not a problem that is limited to the tranquil student town of Göttingen. Driving under the influence of alcohol is now the second most common cause of accidents with e-scooters in Germany, according to an ADAC survey. “The possible consequences of an accident – especially when driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs – are completely underestimated,” said Göttingen police chief Tanja Wulff-Bruhn in a statement. “We will therefore continue to focus on e-scooter users in the future and carry out targeted checks.”
Control in Göttingen: 225 violations, but no drunk e-scooter driver
The result of the check on Friday evening: No intoxicated e-scooter driver was caught by the police. Numerous other offenses were punished for this – for example driving in the opposite direction to the one-way street. Overall, officials controlled more than 270 road users. They found 225 violations, including drunk driving.
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2023-06-10 22:38:03
#Drunk #escooter #police #stop #trend
