Should drunk Segway riding be illegal?

A man in his 30s was charged last year with drunk driving on a Segway. He had traveled 10-20 meters at walking pace when he was stopped, and police measured his blood alcohol level at almost 2 per mille – intoxicated enough to experience impaired balance, motor skills, and reaction time. The reason police stopped the man after only 10-20 meters was that they had already been warned that someone planned to leave a restaurant on a Segway while intoxicated.

He was reported by police but was acquitted in Oslo District Court because they considered a Segway to be a motorized toy, and therefore the driving was not covered by the Road Traffic Act. The police disagreed with this assessment, perhaps not surprisingly since self-balancing vehicles are mentioned in the vehicle regulations. They appealed the verdict to the Court of Appeal, which overturned the original verdict and ruled in favor of the police.

This verdict was then appealed by the man’s lawyer. It has now been decided that the Supreme Court will hear the appeal.