The same blood alcohol and narcotics limits apply as for other motor vehicles. This is explained by Chief Superintendent Detlef Lammers from the Coesfeld Police Traffic Directorate.
Recently, a 37-year-old woman from Coesfeld and a 51-year-old man from Dülmen did not adhere to this rule. The woman drove through a red light right in front of a police car crew. The alcohol test revealed that she was drunk.
The Dülmen man crashed an e-scooter into a traffic light at the Bergfeldstraße/Kreuzweg intersection while drunk. It also turned out that the electric scooter had no insurance cover and no operating license.
Such incidents are still isolated cases in the district. To ensure that there are as few as possible, the Coesfeld police explain what e-scooter riders need to be aware of.
As with driving a car, your driving license can be taken away (for the time being) if the police catch someone drunk on an electric scooter. The 0.5 per mille limit applies. Detlef Lammers adds: "If someone already shows signs of impairment at 0.3 per mille or causes an accident, this can already be a criminal offense." In general, the absolute impaired driving limit is 1.1 per mille. "Anyone who is still driving at this level is definitely committing a criminal offense."
For novice drivers in the probationary period and those under 21 years of age, an alcohol ban applies - i.e. the 0.0 per mille limit. Anyone who thinks they are driving under the influence of drugs should know: "There are no limits for the consumption of narcotics. It is always a misdemeanour and a criminal offence if you show signs of impairment," says the police chief inspector.
In principle, anyone over the age of 14 is allowed to ride an e-scooter. "However, it is not permitted to take someone with you. Nor is it permitted to use a cell phone," says Lammers.
However, there is no obligation to wear a helmet, as the maximum design speed does not exceed 20 kilometers per hour. Nevertheless, Lammers advises wearing one. "Even at this speed, serious head injuries are possible in the event of an accident."
Owners of e-scooters should also bear one thing in mind: they must take out motor vehicle liability insurance and display a valid insurance plate in order to cruise. Failure to do so is a violation of the compulsory insurance law - and therefore a criminal offense.
Whoever goes on an e-scooter tour has no freedom when choosing a route. Detlef Lammers: "The cycle path must be used. If there is none in urban areas, riding on the road is permitted." Outside urban areas, it is permitted to use the hard shoulder if there is no cycle path.