GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A reminder from Green Bay Police could save you from receiving an OWI.
The department posted on Facebook on Wednesday reminding residents that electric scooters and electric bikes when being self propelled, not pedaled are considered motor vehicles – and are treated like any other vehicle on the road.
That means if you are driving drunk on an e-scooter, you are still technically operating while intoxicated and could face a charge of OWI.
“The department has received some complaints about the Bird scooters, and this is our proactive efforts to educate the community so that people don’t make this poor decision…It’s not very common, but we want to make sure that people operate these scooters in a safe manner,” said Green Bay Police Commander, Kevin Warych. “When officers see these Bird scooters downtown, which is a great asset to the community to help people get from Point A to Point B, we just want to make sure that they do this safely.”
Warych says officers working the bar district on weekends and nights want to make sure people know it’s a possibility so they can avoid making the decision in the future.
“We don’t want people to make that poor decision and put themselves at risk, and more importantly, others at risk. We want everybody to be safe and enjoy the great restaurants, bars, and the environment here in downtown Green Bay,” Warych told WTAQ News.
You can find the state statute addressing the issue here.
