Man loses licence after drink-driving in toy Barbie car

Man loses licence after drink-driving in toy Barbie car

www.telegraph.co.uk...

Paul Hutton, 40, was pulled over by police as he drove an electric Barbie car, which moves slower than a mobility scooter, near his home in Essex.

Mr Hutton, who has four children Simon, 17, Calum, 14, Laina, 12, and John, 11, admitted being a 'complete twit'.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 19-4-2010 by fleetlord]

[edit on 19-4-2010 by fleetlord]

This is plain crazy. I reserve my judgement on whether the government or the man, (or both) were at fault here, but both sounds likely. The article does not mention if he was driving on a road, which is a key factor.

Here is a question: You don't need a licesnse to drive a barbie car, even four year olds do it. So how can they take away your license for driving something that didn't require a license in the first place? Thats the insane part.

However, he was drunk, and if he was on a road, he should be punished.

[url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7606600/Man-loses-licence-after-drink-driving-in-toy-Barbie-car.html]www.telegraph.co.uk[ /url]
(visit the link for the full news article)

"If he was drunk, and on the road, he should be punished."

This statement is a little absurd to me. The point of DWI laws is to protect people from getting hurt or killed by a drunk driver.

How much damage could the guy do in a Barbie car? You don't lose your license if you are riding a bike drunk, do you? What about walking in the road drunk? "We hereby remove your right to walk!" C'mon!

This is just lunacy. This is the perfect example of a much-needed law being completely abused by the authorities. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the money involved in tickets, driving school, court costs, etc.

If the vehicle is so easy to use and harmless that a monkey could use it I wouldn't call it 'driving'. What if he was a drunk guy in an electric wheel chair?

That is the most stupid thing I've ever heard! It was a bloody toy car FFS! Is it just me or is the world going totally mental?

Rev

The drink drive rules are daft in the UK, far too rigid and they leave no room at all for sensible judgement.

As an example it's been known for a person to be handed back a bunch of keys from a friend while in the pub, on that bunch there happens to be a key for a motorcycle or a car - that vehicle is no where near, it is safely parked up miles away outside someone's house - the keys are just being returned for the house key or something.

Of course that person now has the ability to walk a few miles with this key and then possibly drive the car That person can actually loose their licence for that single fact that they have the key to a vehicle! - No further evidence or even a glimmer of intent are required.

And loosing your licence for some people can ruin their lives, employers can fire you whatever your role was simply because you now have a criminal conviction, all sorts.

The punishment should fit the crime and potential for injury / damage.

According to the source, the man had prior convictions.
Also,

"Originally it was a pink Barbie car but I put bigger wheels on it but it's not fast....
....Mr Hutton, was found to be twice the drink-drive limit, he said.

Appearing before magistrates last week, he admitted driving the toy car while drunk.
He was given a mandatory three-year ban because he had received another drink-drive ban within the past ten years.

Source

So, while this is still outrageous, he did have a prior drunk driving conviction.
He did modify the car to be used on a road.
According to law, he shouldn't be operating a vehicle on the road.

The punishment was a little steep though, I admit.

Oh man I had a good laugh out of this.

This is so absurd.

But on the other hand, it could be dangerous for the drivers. Why? They may not be able to see him on the road until too late and they would swerve out of the way and cause accidents.

The question is where was he driving that little car at?

I looked at the article and saw the picture and laughed again.

ha, I love it

guess it doesn't really matter what type of transport it is, if your on the road your nicked.
just add it to the many other vehicle types from ride on lawnmowers to horses that some have been pulled over on and charged with DD.

It might not mean a hazard to yourself, but could be for other road users.
not that I agree with some of the rules in place though.

It does not matter what vehicle he was driving. When drunk, people become more dangereous to themselves and others. Granted, a drunk driver in a toy barbie car can't cause as much damage as a drunk driver in a Pick-up Truck, but that isn't the point. In this case, the driver was a danger to himself.

Hey, look at that cute little barbie car! Wait. It swerved and is coming right at me... crunch. It could be as grave and simple as that. If he was pulled over by a police officer, he must have been on a road, and his actions cannot be justified.

Originally posted by lpowell0627
How much damage could the guy do in a Barbie car? You don't lose your license if you are riding a bike drunk, do you? What about walking in the road drunk? "We hereby remove your right to walk!" C'mon!

Welcome to reality.

Yes, you can lose your license if you ride a bike drunk. You can get a DUI on a pedal bike.. it happens all the time.

Also, walking in the road drunk can also get you arrested. That is called "drunk in public".

So.... yeah... if you drink alcohol you are criminal, but it's legal to buy. It's like entrapment.

Don't go to the bar because the second you walk out you are a criminal.

[edit on 19-4-2010 by ALLis0NE]

reply to post by fleetlord


Regardless you dont lose your license you get thrown in the drunk tank if your really hammered

This is absolute baloney. This just shows how desperate cops are getting to meet their end of the month quota.

Even drunk people that are driving real cars don't get that long of a ban.

What would they do if it was a kid 'driving' it instead then?

It's people like this guy that are a plague on the communities of the world. Call it what you will, but it's still drunk driving. This guy seems like he was hellbent on driving drunk. If the Barbie car moves so slow, then why not simply walk? Better yet, why not try being sober!

Also, drunk driving laws are not simply to protect others, they are intended to prevent injury/death of the drunkard as well. Not to mention, this guy's judgment was impaired and he could have pulled out into an intersection, causing a wreck.

Repeat offenders get zero sympathy from me, even if it appears at face value to be a scenario of "big brother" singling him out.

The extremes of a nanny state & ridiculous victim-less crime.

comment @ those who need the state to protect them from all the boogeymen driving dunk in kids toys.


"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759


"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it." –Thomas Jefferson

Originally posted by lpowell0627
You don't lose your license if you are riding a bike drunk, do you?

In the US you do.

What about walking in the road drunk? "We hereby remove your right to walk!" C'mon!

Public drunkeness. Which is what the guy should have got IMO instead of DUI.

The thought just occurred to me that if we all drove barbie cars, there wouldn't be a need for drunk driving laws.

Just think how road rage incidents would increase though!

Originally posted by ALLis0NE
Welcome to reality.

Yes, you can lose your license if you ride a bike drunk. You can get a DUI on a pedal bike.. it happens all the time.

Also, walking in the road drunk can also get you arrested. That is called "drunk in public".

So.... yeah... if you drink alcohol you are criminal, but it's legal to buy. It's like entrapment.

Don't go to the bar because the second you walk out you are a criminal.

You can buy alcohol, but getting drunk like a fish and messing around in public isn't the only use for it. No laws can really fix it either though.
If we didn't have drugs, alcohol and cigarettes maybe we'd do something about this sh**hole we call modern society , instead we just ignore things and get back to zombification (drinking and smoking in front of TV/computer).

In my area you can be arrested for DUI if you are on a riding mower cutting your own grass. It is stupid, assinine and a load of crap. Nobody stands up to this BS because if you do the local MADD chapter condemns and vilifies you. Unless you are in a motor vehicle that requires an operator's license, on a public street or road, have the vehicle in operation and are intoxicated enough to be a threat to yourself or others, it shouldn't be DUI. There are enough other laws to cover these situations.