When we think of drunk driving, we typically think of someone driving a car or truck while intoxicated. It is also important to understand that drunk driving doesn’t always have to involve a car. A person can be charged with drunk driving on a bicycle, pedicab, scooter, or anything else with wheels, with the one exception of a wheelchair. The reason a person cannot be charged with drunk driving in a wheelchair is because it would be discriminatory and the same as charging a person with a crime for walking while drunk.
While it may seem strange to charge someone with the crime of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs (OUI) on a non-traditional vehicle, the Massachusetts legislature made the law this way because, for example, driving a moped while drunk is dangerous and can result in a serious accident. Continue reading