Cyclist in Spain was caught four times over drink-drive limit - then headed off to bar for another drink

A cyclist in Galicia, northwest Spain, was discovered to be four times over the drink-drive limit when he was stopped and breathalysed by the Guardia Civil – then pushed his bike to a bar to have another drink.

The man was stopped by officers at around 5.10pm on Tuesday afternoon after they saw him riding his bike in an “absolutely erratic and irregular way,” reports Publico.es.

They had been carrying out spot checks for the presence of alcohol and drugs in people using the LU-120 road in Muimenta in the province of Lugo in the north of the region.

According to a press release from the Guardia Civil, following the control the man walked off pushing his bike, telling officers he was going to have another drink at a local bar.

In Spain, as in some other European countries including France, Italy and Portugal, cyclists are subject to the same-drink driving laws as motorists.

The situation differs elsewhere, including the UK, where cyclists are not subject to the same laws as drivers when it comes to intoxication, although they can still be prosecuted for being drunk in charge of a bicycle.

We reported on one such case earlier this month in which a cyclist was given a conditional discharge by magistrates in Pendle, Lancashire after being prosecuted under the Licensing Act 1872.

> "Drunk" cyclist who had been pushing bike was locked up by police under 19th Century law, court told

While most of the provisions of that act have been repealed or replaced by subsequent laws, section 12 remains in force and applies to persons found “drunk while in charge on any highway or other public place of any carriage, horse, cattle, or steam engine, or who is drunk when in possession of any loaded firearms.”

In the case of the cyclist stopped in Spain, according to the Guardia Civil, the amount by which the man exceeded the threshold for alcohol constitutes a very serious offence and he could face a fine of up to €1,000.