Weird Things DUI: Drunk Driving on a Sidewalk

Oh, Florida. Every day reports of the Sunshine state give us a new chuckle. Like the story about a person getting in trouble for violating Florida drunk driving laws… while on a sidewalk.

Let’s just point out the obvious: driving your vehicle on a sidewalk while under the influence of alcohol is pretty bad. Trying then to drive up the stairs while under the influence of alcohol has set the bar a little higher for Florida. Pun intended. You see, Florida drunk driving laws don’t indicate whether a person can drive under the influence of alcohol on a sidewalk, because there’s no safe place to drink and drive. The person who was caught in the act had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .188 percent. Florida drunk driving laws kick in at .08 BAC, and with a high BAC (above .15 percent) the consequences and penalties are even more serious.

Florida did not expand ignition interlock access this year, but that doesn’t mean much when you try to drive up a staircase.

Ignition interlock requirements are one of the most recommended consequences for drunk driving, and this case is no different. Even though interlock expansion didn’t happen in Florida, the law states that anyone who is convicted of a Florida DUI at or above .15 percent BAC will have a mandatory ignition interlock requirement.

We can all appreciate, or cringe at, the bad decisions that are made while under the influence of alcohol. The moral of the story here is no different than any other DUI, however, as we can all make better choices about how we can get from point A to point B if we know we’ll be drinking. The odds are that if you cannot walk up and down a staircase if you’ve been drinking, the choice to drive yourself instead is not going to get you anywhere.