Police in Australia impound motorized cooler allegedly operated by unlicensed driver
By Alexandra Mae Jones
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TORONTO (CTV Network) — It’s common knowledge that you need a driver’s license to operate a vehicle in most countries, but police in Australia are adding a new type of transportation to the list of what constitutes a vehicle: motorized coolers.
According to a Facebook post, Swan Hill Police Service pulled over a 25-year-old man last week who was driving a “motorized esky on the footpath in Victoria Street Kerang”.
Esky refers to an Australian brand of portable coolers. A photo of the motorized cooler shows a bright blue cooler sitting on a metal platform with four wheels, an engine in the back, and a set of what looks like bike handlebars, with the cooler appearing to form the seat of the makeshift vehicle. The entire thing appears smaller than a lawn tractor.
Police stated that the driver of the cooler did not have a driver’s license and had never, in fact, held one. They added that the driver passed a breathalyzer test and was not intoxicated.
“This motorised esky is considered a vehicle due to the size/engine capacity and must comply with legistlative requirements and road rules,” the police statement read.
The cooler has been impounded for 30 days, and the driver is facing charges of driving without a licence and driving “an unregistered motor vehicle.”
Police added a link to a website that explained the laws surrounding hoverboards, Segways and other personal mobility devices in Australia. Motorized personal mobility devices were defined as being self-balancing and having either a single wheels or wheels in a “side-by-side configuration,” and are required to meeting registration and licensing requirements to be used on roads or footpaths.
Although several examples were listed, motorized coolers did not make an appearance.
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Sonja Puzicsonja.puzic@bellmedia.ca
