COPENHAGEN -- At least 30 people in the Danish capital face preliminary charges for operating electric scooters under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as part of a wider move to highlight that traffic laws also apply to scooters, police said Wednesday.
Copenhagen traffic department head Henning Pedersen said 26 people have been booked in recent days for scooting with a blood-alcohol level above the limit, while four others were found to be under the influence of drugs.
Pedersen said officers are waiting for results from blood tests before they can write out fines. First-time offenders are fined 2,000 kroner (US$300), which is doubled for a repeat offence.
Danish traffic laws apply to scooters, with the legal blood alcohol level being the same as for cars or any other type of vehicle.
Pedersen said scooter users have also been fined for riding on sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, and users must follow the lane rules that apply to cyclists.
Over the past year, electric scooters have flooded cities worldwide, part of the so-called micro-mobility revolution whereby consumers share rented scooters for short city trips.
