Noosa man loses licence for 10 months after drink driving on motorised esky | Car Advice

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Noosa man loses licence for 10 months after drink driving on motorised esky

By Tim Beissmann |

A Noosa man has lost his licence for 10 months and was fined $500 for driving a motorised esky while drunk.

Police caught Chris Petrie driving the esky along Noosa Parade just before midnight on June 16.

When breath tested (we doubt it was a ‘random breath test’), the 23-year-old blew 0.160 – more than three times the legal limit. He did not have his driver’s licence with him at the time of the incident.

The eksy in question is powered by a 50cc two-stroke engine and has a top speed of 20km/h.

In court yesterday, Mr Petrie’s lawyer told Magistrate John Parker his client was not aware that an esky was classified as a vehicle.

In delivering his verdict, Mr Parker admitted he had to consult the statue to confirm that a motorised esky qualified as a motor vehicle.

“It’s an unfortunate situation. If he’d been drunk on a horse he’d have been okay,” Mr Parker said, as reported by News Ltd.

“Never the less you were in a motor vehicle… on a motor vehicle… and there must be a penalty.”

Mr Petrie was charged with drink driving and driving without a licence.

Mr Petrie admitted he had done the wrong thing, and joked that he may sell the motorised esky – which he spent $600 on – to pay his fine.

What do you think? Did Mr Petrie deserve to lose his licence, or is it a bit ridiculous to ban someone for driving an esky? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.


 

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  • Reckless1

    Nanny states gone mad.

  • Cliffo

    What about an esky on the back of a motorised push bike, still lose your car license???

  • AndrewF

    Never mind, he can still get around on his lawn mower.

  • Andrew of Melbourne

    Why didn’t this feature as the main news story on Today Tonight or ACA? Surely this would be worth an investigation to hold some landlord or person to account.

    • Ima Hogg

      They had it on aca last night.

  • Ash Singh

    He was doing it wrong.

  • Car Fanatic

    How’s it a nanny state? He was in charge of a motorised vehicle on a public road whilst intoxicated. That’s breaking the law you nonce.

    • Bangel

      Yep the big IQ’S are out tonight , must be the full moon , get him off the road , crush his esky , put him in the cooler for a week he is a total clown , danger to himself and the public .

  • JEKYL & HYDE

    correct me if i’m wrong,but you can still go d.u.i. on a horse,a lawnmower,a pushbike,a golf cart,ANYTHING on the road.

    • Skybreak

      The laws vary from state to state, but in QLD pretty much anything motorised can get you done DUI. So being drunk driving a golfcart or ride-on lawnmower will get you arrested. Roller blades or pushbikes will not.

      Note – this only applies to public roads. Being drunk mowing your own lawn is A-OK in Queensland.

  • MattP

    Anyone who drinks and drives anything deserves to punished for stupidity. End of story.

    • chook

      Yes ,provided its in a public area ….but on the farm the cops will need to shoot me dead before they can arrest me for any driving matter . Sometimes its none of their damned business and they ought to know it

  • Timmy

    Stupid for driving drunk but motorised esky, genius.

    • Tom

      Exactly right. That is perhaps the finest vehicle I have ever laid eyes upon.

      • AB

        If you’d camped on the hill at bathurst up untill a few years ago, you would have seen more of thesse ‘Ultimate Rides’ like Eskies towing trailers, motorised fridges, motorised couches, motorised couches towing eskies towing fridges!!!

        It was awesome.. sadly the fun police have put an end to that in last few years..

  • Karl

    CA, can we expect a road test of said vehicle any time soon?

    • Don Quay

      Only if it has a Hyundai badge on it.

  • Sam

    Gold. Absolute gold. How could you charge the man? He’s just fostering innovation.

    • Disco

      This is f stupid next we will lose lic for walking

  • Torque

    Some unemployed maggoty druggo crashes into your car or breaks into your house and gets let off with a caution or a $180 fine that they cannot and do not repay. The laws are F’d.

  • Sadcountry

    This shows what a weak, metro-sexual, socialist nation we have become.
    I don’t care if they change the flag anymore, this country doesn’t to fly it when things like this are unchallengeable.
    The bloke should be applauded! He is an Aussie and doing something hilarious whist pis#ed, if that’s a crime then pi#s on the law!

  • Car Fanatic

    A section 10 for high range?

    Don’t be a clown!

  • JK

    Do I need a driver licence to drive a motorized esky?

  • chook

    I guess he made himself a target for the cops , and in this overgoverned and revenue raising country it was going to happen sooner or later with him riding the esky in public . Once this sort of thing happens where someone is doing it on there own private property then it would be typical of some communist dictatorship and i fear it could get to that point in Australia one day . Personally i rarely drink , probably only around one beer a week …but no one will stop me having the one beer while i drive….if i choose to , and if the cops want to be smart about it then i will act like im blind drunk while they struggle to get any reading from their glorified breathalyser….

    • GooSE

      I completely understand you’re argument about our gradual loss of rights in this country. Every day new laws are being implemented to place further control over the general population. It is becoming ridiculous and this case exemplifies it.
      But on your argument about drink driving, the cops would see you driving with a bottle/tin in hand; what are they supposed to think? I work in the liquor industry and every day I see half drunk people stop by on the way home from work to pick up a 6 pack plus an extra 1 for the remaining drive home. These people are DEFINITELY a risk to all of us on the road (I refuse them service). Not saying you are one of these type of drinkers, but police officers wouldn’t be able to tell one way or the other. At the end of the day do you really need that one drink so bad you can’t wait until you’ve gotten where you’re going and stepped out of the car?

      • chook

        If i feel thirsty i will have a coke while i drive , same way for the one beer . I owe the cops no favours for their attitude towards me when i was younger , for being accused of littering from the car when i hadnt done so and then trying to provoke me , for pulling up near the shops on the way home late at night for some sleep because i was too tired to continue driving (then interrogated and told to just drive home anyway), harrassed for keeping the red car looking shiny or whether they didnt like that my car may be quicker than their own personal one !!. There are two kinds of cops….those who take a rational view of the situation and are not in the job for a personal power trip , and the others who may have been school yard bullies or their victims , those who may have been abused in childhood , those who need power (like the ex), or those who have personality disorders but did a good interview for the job . Or taxes pay them , and theyre not our masters….and many of us with a memory need to think back . They reap what they sow……Bad P.R for life !!

  • altered

    What if he didn’t actually have a licence, would he have been charged for driving an esky without a licence?

  • iNoob

    If this country could – they would regulate the times we go to the crapper…

  • ST

    If that’s a motor vehicle, then why isn’t it defected (for lack of lights etc), registered, insured like anything else that’s a “motor vehicle”??

    • John

      Under the Qld Transport Management Act it is classed as a vehicle other tham a motor vehicle. And if he had have been on a horse he would have been pinched as well. It is all there in the legislation.

  • JSTTRS

    That’s hell funny!!!

  • K20A

    Is that a wheelie? Must be a pretty powerful motorised esky..

  • John B

    Do you think we could get our prime minister charged for drunk in charge of power????

  • Shane

    What rubbish, gees watch out this drunk driver on his esky might bruise your leg if he hits you…

    What is happening to this country, 10 months loss of lisence for this…and a criminal record…at least he wasn’t driving a car?

    I have read about people that have been charged with drink driving causing grievious bodily harm and only lost their lisence for 12 months…or less!!!

  • Old dog

    More like drunk on power.

  • James

    Gotta love all the bogans complaining about the nanny state.

    This moron was driving this on a public road drunk – what happened if he drove it into another, larger, vehicle and caused a massive accident?

    Bitch all you want about it, but I’m sure you’d all be the first to complain if this idiot and his esky darted out in front of you on a main road.

    • Shane

      James, the same could be said if he was walking or riding a push bike. He could have walked drunk onto a road and caused a massive accident. Do you want to ban his lisence for 10 months for walking home drunk?

      And what’s to say that a NON drunk driver won’t dart out in front of me on the road???

      I totally agree with punishing drink drivers but this has all been blown out of proportion!