Man banned from driving following e-scooter incident in Southampton

A man has been banned from driving for drinking while riding an e-scooter in Southampton.

At Southampton Magistrates’ Court, yesterday (30 September) Pawel Szmydki, 31, of Brunel Road, Southampton, was sentenced in relation to the incident on 5 September in Wimpson Lane, having pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle with alcohol above the limit.

The court heard that Szmydki was seen driving erratically on a hired e-scooter at around 9.35pm, causing vehicles to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

Officers stopped him and he was arrested after failing a roadside breath test.

His lowest reading was 79mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, more than twice the legal limit of 35mg.

As well as being disqualified from driving for 14 months, Szmydki was ordered to pay a £300 fine, £85 court costs and a £34 victim surcharge.

PC David Hazlett from the Roads Safety Unit said: “We know there is a lot of debate and confusion about e-scooters, but the law is clear.

“If you use an e-scooter, you cannot drink and drive. You have the same responsibility as if you were driving a car or riding a motorbike.

“Although in this case the defendant was using a hired scooter, it is worth remembering that privately owned e-scooters are illegal to use in any public place.

“We all know that alcohol impairs our reactions, so when you drive any vehicle you need to make sure you are not posing a risk to yourself or any other members of the public.

“Our job is to make the roads safer for everybody and we will take action when we find people posing a danger to others.”