Drunk Cyclist Banned From Riding in Germany

Image via Treehugger

In Germany bicycles are subject to the same street laws as motor vehicles, so when Christopher-Felix Hahn, a college student in Gießen, was pulled over on his bicycle for blowing three times the legal drinking limit he should not have been surprised that there would be consequences. Now, around the world, cyclists are asking, is his punishment worthy of the crime?

Christine Lepisto writes on Treehugger:

Christopher-Felix Hahn says he did not feel unduly impaired when he made the decision to take his bicycle home from a party in June of 2008. On his way home in the wee hours of the morning, he attracted the attention of the local police. The police administered a breath test and found a blood-alcohol content of 0.171%, over three times the German legal limit of 0.05%.

Hahn was given a €500 ($700) penalty, which he paid. And he would have to live with the fact that there would be no chance to apply for a driver’s license until his record cleared. He thought the affair was over and done with.

However, in Germany, all arrests with a blood alcohol content finding of over 0.16% must be reported to the drivers’ licensing bureau. Hahn was surprised to receive a letter requiring that he submit to a medical and psychological examination. He ignored the letter. After all, he had no plans to seek a driver’s license. And the €500 euro cost for the examination was a steep price for a student.

But German authorities did not let the matter slip under the rug. They seemed to be trying to make a point with this particular case. Hahn received a second letter, this one forbidding him from using any license-free vehicle on public streets for the next fifteen years. And yeah, you read that correctly. The German government has literally banned Hahn from riding a bike, scooter, skateboard, or any other unlicensed wheeled transportation for the next fifteen years.

[Via: Treehugger]