Man of good character 'mortified' after discovering he broke law when drink-driving Voi e-scooter in Portsmouth

Surrey resident Nicholas Turner, 32, was banned from the roads and told to cough up more than £800 after his night out with a friend on January 15 in Portsmouth turned sour when he decided to rent a Voi e-scooter.

The e-scooters, which are subject to the same rules as motor vehicles on the roads, are currently available for rent as part of a trial scheme by Portsmouth City Council.

Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard how dad-of-one Turner decided to hire the scooter on Queen Street near the Hard Interchange just before 9pm when his erratic driving came to the attention of officers on patrol in the area.

‘He was struggling to ride in a straight line before hitting a kerb,’ prosecutor Giles Fletcher said.

‘Cooperative’ Turner then agreed to a breath test which he failed after being found with 79mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath – more than double the 35mcg limit.

The court heard Turner was a man of ‘good character’ with no previous convictions to his name.

Sally Martin, defending, said Turner had never ridden an e-scooter before deciding to rent one not realising they were subject to the same laws as motor vehicles.

‘He should have thought after he was asked for his driving licence that it would be subject to the same rules,’ she said.

But she said more needed to be done to make people aware. ‘There needs to be a big sign up saying don’t drink and drive,’ she said.

‘You are subject to the same rules as motor vehicles but people don’t know.’

The lawyer predicted there would be more similar cases as the ‘law plays catch up’.

Ms Martin added: ‘He is mortified at what he has put his family through.

‘He has a young child and will not have a licence for a while.’

The chair of the bench said: ‘It’s an unusual case and is the first one we’ve come across.’

The magistrate also said there ‘needs to be a sign’ to let people know they are subject to drink-driving laws.

‘We have some sympathy with you and have reduced the sentence to the minimum we can,’ he said.

Turner, of Western Drive, Shepperton, was slapped with a £670 fine, £85 costs and a £67 surcharge.

He was also banned from driving for 12 months but agreed to undertake a 16-hour drink-driving course to reduce his ban by 13 weeks.

He must apply to DVLA for a new photocard licence with his no longer valid.

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A spokesman for Voi said: ‘Voi’s number one priority is safety and any rider caught by the police under the influence of alcohol will be permanently banned from its service.

‘E-scooters are classified as motor vehicles, which means the same drink-driving laws apply as if someone was using a car or a motorbike, for example. We make it clear to all our users, via regular in-app communications and through our in-person and online safety events, that riding an e-scooter under the influence of alcohol is illegal. Anyone caught by the police could face arrest and substantial sanctions, including a fine and points on their license.

‘Any rider engaging in anti-social behaviour should be reported to the police and via Voi’s website, here: www.voiscooters.com/report/uk/.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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