NEW laws will see stricter penalties for riding e-scooters and other personal mobility vehicles while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The “Road Transport Legislation Amendment Bill No. 2” introduces a new offence for riding a personal mobility device such as an e-scooter, a bike and other types of vehicles, on road related areas while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to the extent as to be incapable of having proper control.

The new ruling applies to riding on footpaths, shared paths, verges and other road related spaces.

It will apply a maximum court penalty of 20 penalty units but will not carry an imprisonment term or come with license disqualification requirements.

For consistency the Bill also updates the offence and makes the penalty the same for driving a motor vehicle under the influence, which is 30 penalty units (rather than 50 penalty units).

These new penalties follow legislation introduced by the government earlier this year that will empower police to direct a person to get off, or not get on, a personal mobility device.

“As new forms of transport grow in popularity, we want to ensure everyone uses them safely – to protect the riders and others who use our roads and paths,” Transport Minister Chris Steel says

“This new offence makes it clear that it’s not acceptable to have a night of heavy drinking, jump on a scooter and risk your own safety and that of others.

The bill will be debated in 2022, along with the government’s earlier tranche of road safety legislation amendments.