Gold Coast electric scooter riders warned to stick to the rules after Brisbane man charged with drink driving

Scooter riders beware, the electric ride-ons are in police crosshairs after a man was caught drink driving on a rented scooter.

POLICE have issued a stern warning to electric scooter users on the Gold Coast after a man was charged for drink driving on one in Brisbane this week.

The Brisbane man, 43, was allegedly more than three times over the legal drinking limit when he ran a red traffic light, nearly causing an accident on Saturday night.

The man had hired the device through the Lime app a short time earlier, police said.

The man is at risk of losing his driver’s licence because of the drink driving charge, despite not being in a car at the time.

On the Gold Coast RIDE electric scooters are available to hire. Photo: Talisa Eley

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The scooters, which can reach speeds of up to 27km/h, are also available to hire on the Gold Coast, leading police to warn riders to stick to the rules when they’re out on the town.

As well as drink driving, riders can also cop a fine for using a mobile phone, carrying passengers or for not wearing a helmet.

Age restrictions are also being enforced by Queensland police with children aged 12-16 required to be supervised by an adult.

Hannah Roscoe and Maddie Ryan both do the right thing by wearing helmets during a cruise through Broadbeach. Photo: Glenn Hampson

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Acting Senior Sergeant Steve Watkins said the rules are quite clear when it comes to the dos and don’ts on so-called ‘rideables’.

“At this stage police have probably been cautioning people to make them aware as they’re quite a new device but the time for cautioning is probably finished now, we’re obviously concerned for the safety of the people riding to scooters and members of the public,” he said.

“We still want to educate people but if people are doing the wrong thing they may find themselves subject to infringement notices.”