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Cyclist in Spain was caught four times over drink-drive limit - then headed off to bar for another drink

Guardia Civil say man stopped for cycling erratically could face a 1,000-euro fine

A cyclist in Galicia, northwest Spain, was discovered to be four times over the drink-drive limit when he was stopped and breathalysed by the Guardia Civil – then pushed his bike to a bar to have another drink.

The man was stopped by officers at around 5.10pm on Tuesday afternoon after they saw him riding his bike in an “absolutely erratic and irregular way,” reports Publico.es.

They had been carrying out spot checks for the presence of alcohol and drugs in people using the LU-120 road in Muimenta in the province of Lugo in the north of the region.

According to a press release from the Guardia Civil, following the control the man walked off pushing his bike, telling officers he was going to have another drink at a local bar.

In Spain, as in some other European countries including France, Italy and Portugal, cyclists are subject to the same-drink driving laws as motorists.

The situation differs elsewhere, including the UK, where cyclists are not subject to the same laws as drivers when it comes to intoxication, although they can still be prosecuted for being drunk in charge of a bicycle.

We reported on one such case earlier this month in which a cyclist was given a conditional discharge by magistrates in Pendle, Lancashire after being prosecuted under the Licensing Act 1872.

> "Drunk" cyclist who had been pushing bike was locked up by police under 19th Century law, court told

While most of the provisions of that act have been repealed or replaced by subsequent laws, section 12 remains in force and applies to persons found “drunk while in charge on any highway or other public place of any carriage, horse, cattle, or steam engine, or who is drunk when in possession of any loaded firearms.”

In the case of the cyclist stopped in Spain, according to the Guardia Civil, the amount by which the man exceeded the threshold for alcohol constitutes a very serious offence and he could face a fine of up to €1,000.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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4 comments

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Beecho | 7 years ago
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I thought it was going to be a wine review. Little bit disappointed there...

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Hypoxic | 7 years ago
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Should've given him a set of trainer wheels and sent him off with a warning!

 

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Dnnnnnn | 7 years ago
4 likes

Road.cc certainly knows no boundaries in its quest to bring us cycling news.

Any close passes in Malaysia today?

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cyclisto replied to Dnnnnnn | 7 years ago
1 like
Duncann wrote:

Road.cc certainly knows no boundaries in its quest to bring us cycling news.

Any close passes in Malaysia today?

So you bothered to click this link and to post a comment that you don't like this link when you could simply haven scrolled down for a couple tenths of a second? And this about a quite serious topic of bicycle commuting international legislation?

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