A MAN has been caught riding a motorised wheelchair while six times over the legal limit.
Motorists on the Captain Cook Highway had to swerve to avoid hitting the man who cops said was so drunk he was asleep at the controls.
"It beggars belief," Far Northern Region Traffic co-ordinator Insp Bob Waters.
He said the man's actions were foolhardy and a recipe for disaster.
The 64-year-old man was allegedly sitting in the chair on the Captain Cook Highway in the turning lane at Arnold St near Stratford when he was caught at 10am on Friday.
Insp Waters said the man had a blood alcohol reading 0.31 per cent and had told police that he was going to Trinity Beach to visit a friend.
The man was breathalysed by police after they smelt alcohol on his breath. He was later charged with being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of liquor.
"We will allege it was a very foolhardy act given this person had such a high reading on a major highway," Insp Waters said. "We will also allege he was grossly affected by liquor."
Insp Waters the man's actions could have led to tragedy given that motorists would not expect to find a person in that kind of vehicle in that state on a busy four lane main road.
"That is a high reading for anyone and not a reading we expect at that time of the day," he said.
Insp Waters said although it was an unusual case, the motorised wheelchair was considered a vehicle under the law.
"It's unlawful, it is unacceptable and people should realise it could lead to a fatality," he said.
He said horses, bicycles, in-line skates and skateboards were also considered vehicles.
The RACQ's Gary Fites said he was not surprised by the alleged offence and cited a similar case in Brisbane where a skater had been charged.
"The law is reasonable in recognising there can be dangers ... in operating any kind of vehicle under the influence while on a public road," he said.
