Whether behind the wheel of a vehicle or a mobility scooter, Owen Sound police say impaired driving is impaired driving.
The reminder comes after police were called about a man who planned to leave a home in the city on a mobility scooter after drinking alcohol on Sunday night. Officers arrived and spoke to the man about impaired driving laws and the legal consequences of operating a mobility scooter while impaired.
The man told police he would leave the scooter parked and make alternate arrangements. However roughly 30 minutes later, police received a second call indicating the man had returned and driven off on the scooter.
Officers found the scooter a short distance away where the man was allegedly in the middle of the road drinking an alcoholic beverage.
The man was arrested after failing a roadside sobriety test.
A 65-year-old Owen Sound man is charged with impaired driving and driving with a blood alcohol concentration over 80 mg.
"Mobility scooters are motor-powered vehicles and are considered motor vehicles under the Criminal Code of Canada. As such, impaired driving laws apply to their operation in the same manner as other motor vehicles," police said.
