First rider charged seven minutes after new e-scooter laws took hold

Brisbane has seen its first charge under new, stricter e-mobility laws, with a 28-year-old man becoming the first to be breath-tested while riding an e-scooter. The man was initially stopped by police on Queen Street in the CBD for not wearing a helmet shortly after midnight. Officers then utilized new powers, which had come into effect just seven minutes prior, to conduct a breath test. He registered a blood alcohol reading of 0.067, exceeding the legal limit of 0.05. The individual is now scheduled to appear before the Brisbane Magistrates Court. "We couldn't do that yesterday, whereas today we can," stated Police Assistant Commissioner Rhys Wildman, highlighting the immediate impact of the new legislation. The tougher laws, implemented on July 20, aim to curb illegal e-mobility device use. They grant police the authority to conduct random breath tests on riders, mirroring the rules for drivers. Fines for violations can exceed $500, with maximum court penalties reaching nearly $7,000. Police have launched Operation Yankee Surety to enforce these new regulations, focusing on the device, the rider, and their behavior. In the first six months of the year, before the law changes, police issued over 2,600 infringement notices related to e-mobility devices, with helmet violations accounting for more than 1,800. Tragically, four people have died in e-mobility-related incidents on roads this year, following 12 fatalities in the previous year. Assistant Commissioner Wildman assured the public of the police's high success rate in tracking down and holding offenders accountable, utilizing multiple capabilities to ensure justice.

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He returned a reading of 0.067, so that individual will be appearing before the Brisbane Magistrates Court after being issued a notice to appear this morning on the 20th of July.