Man Arrested for Drunken Lawn Mower Ride
Perhaps if you've had too many drinks, taking a lawnmower ride in the middle of the night sounds like a good idea.
That was the case for an Iowa man who was stopped by deputies at 1 a.m. for drunk drivng a lawnmower down a highway with no headlights, the Associated Press reports.
According to authorities the man's blood-alcohol concentration was .190, though it was unclear what he was doing, or if had been drinking, earlier.
Driving such a slow moving, unregistered vehicle on a highway without lights is both illegal and dangerous, officials said.
The man was driving a six-speed Bolens lawn tractor. The maximum speed for a six-speed Bolens lawn tractor is about 5 mph.
In Iowa, it's illegal to drive any motor vehicle anywhere while intoxicated.
This case is similar to a Minnesota man recently pleaded guilty to DUI by motorized armchair, as previously discussed in FindLaw's Legally Weird.
Dennis LeRoy Anderson was driving home in his motorized lounger from the Keyboard Lounge in Proctor, Minnesota when he was blindsided by a parked car. However, Anderson claimed he was driving just fine until a woman hopped on, causing him to crash into the parked car.
Anderson admitted to having downed 8 or 9 beers was confirmed by the fact that he blew a reported 0.29 blood alcohol level (more than three times Minnesota's legal limit).
The moto-lounger featured a multi-gear lawnmower engine, steering wheel, side view mirror, stereo, armrest headlights, cup holders and a National Hot Rod Association sticker. News reports offer no clarification as to whether it reclines.
Related Resources:
- La-Z-Boy DUI: Yes, Almost Any Vehicle Counts (FindLaw's Blotter)
- Man Gets DUI After Crashing Motorized Barstool: Can Any Vehicle Qualify for a DUI? (FindLaw's Blotter)
- FindLaw's DUI Center (FindLaw)
- Overview of Drunk Driving (provided by Mark J. Madrigali)
- DUI FAQs (provided by Law Office of Christopher A. Connelly)