Drunk driver of toy car gets 3-year suspension
April 23, 2010 by Shane BorerPosted in: Auto Quote, Latest News, Oddly Enough
Drinking and driving don’t mix – even if your vehicle of choice is a toy Barbie car.
That’s a lesson Paul Hutton learned the hard way when he was pulled over in his hometown of Essex, England for operating a “motor vehicle” while intoxicated. Usually, speeding or weaving would be a clear indicator that a driver’s had a few too many, but seeing a slurring adult male in the pink and white children’s jeep was a dead giveaway for local police.
Hutton was intercepted on the way to a friend’s house, which was only 1,500 feet away. But because the Barbie vehicle topped out at 4 mph, law enforcement officials had more than enough time to notice the erratic driving, pull him over and complete a field sobriety test.
The result? Hutton blew more than twice the legal limit. Colchester Magistrates’ Court slapped him with a $130 fine, and he is now banned from driving – whether it’s his Barbie jeep or another vehicle – for three years.
It could be a blessing in disguise: Think of all the money he’ll save on auto insurance for his mini-ride.
Tags: Auto insurance, Barbie, DUI
April 28th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kevin Honeycutt, Bill Free. Bill Free said: Dude should've asked his three-year-old's permission first. http://bit.ly/csx8hM [...]
April 28th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by billfromsc: Dude should’ve asked his three-year-old’s permission first. http://bit.ly/csx8hM...
April 28th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Get a Grip:
There are real criminals out there to be caught. The police who pulled him over (no pun intended) should be put on desk duty.
April 29th, 2010 at 1:41 am
Wrong Carolyn, Those fine police officers should be put on parking meter patrol.
April 29th, 2010 at 7:53 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kevin Honeycutt, charlesazorn, Lauren Lloyd, Circles of S.A., Ann Redgate Krueger and others. Ann Redgate Krueger said: Ripple.us.com Drunk driver of toy car gets 3-year suspension http://ht.ly/1EeTa – Hilarious! [...]
April 29th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
This is plain old rediculous…these days you get slapped with a fine for doing anything. For crying out loud it was a toy vehicle he was riding !!! Maybe give him a fine but suspend his license for 3 years…? come one…he wasent drigina real car at any real spead.
April 29th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
This is TOO FUNNY! I think what got him noticed by the cops was that he was driving a PINK AND WHITE vehicle. Let that be a lesson to all you toy car drivers. Pink is an invitation to the cops that says, “Please pull me over.”
April 29th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
So a drunk doing 4 MPH on a public road isn’t a hazard and is OK but Carolyn and Jeffery think that any Police Officer that stops him and gets him off the road should be punished? Just how fast would a drunk have to be going before “Good Cop” should stop him/her? Should we change our minimum speeds for two options – such as “Sober 45, Drunk 1?” Just trying to make sure I know what a “real criminal” is and which laws are being used on “unreal criminals.”
April 29th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
@ John ~ I don’t think the real issue is how fast good ol’ Paul was going. The fact is that he was driving a TOY jeep. If he was in a real vehicle, then yes punish him to the extent of the law. The point is he was driving a TOY jeep. Yes, he should have gotten a fine for driving a TOY on the road but to have his drivers license taken away for 3 years, that was ridiculous! I guess we can’t act like the inner kids we are without being punished.
April 29th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kevin Honeycutt, charlesazorn, Hangover Hater, Michelle Groover, Lauren Lloyd and others. Lauren Lloyd said: Wow. Really? Via @CirclesofSA Drinking and driving don’t mix – even if your vehicle of choice is a toy Barbie car. http://ht.ly/1EgDy [...]
April 29th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
Sorry I respectfully disagree with you Barb. Toy or not he could have caused an accident. Would you have looked on it so kindly if someone had come around a corner suddenly and had to hit a parked car to avoid hitting him. Or if someone had hit him and killed him. Drunks need to stay off the road no matter the size or speed of their vehicle.
April 29th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
Barb is correct. We should be allowed to get drunk and play with Kids toys to our hearts content. The laws apply to drunk people driving full size cars. If I want to get wasted, throw up on myself and hop in a Kids ride toy, it should my choice!! … and if I go on a public street while riding it, then they should throw me jail where I will become fresh meat.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Ok, let’s see how you feel when you mow down this “unreal criminal” and kill him plus roll your vehicle. Oh yea, you kill your 9 year old too. It may seem stupid but law enforcement does protect you form your short-sightedness.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Nah, you don’t need a drivers license to operate a ‘Barbie’ toy vehicle. So a drivers license shouldn’t even come into play. Public intoxication, yes. Dude either didn’t get a lawyer or his lawyer sucked. Either way I question the validity of the article because of the loss of license. Essex England? Hmm.
April 30th, 2010 at 12:07 am
OK, I agree toys should not be on the road, so a fine was definitely in order. There are even some laws about public drunkeness that could have got him another fine. But what does his drivers license have to do with driving a toy car? Would they have banned him from ever getting a license if he didn’t have one? Or charge him with driving without a license. His 3 year old doesn’t need a license to drive that thing, so why should his license be affected for driving it?
April 30th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
@ Jay, Barb, and others who feel the officers’ actions were ridiculous – Please understand that the issue here is not what vehicle the man in question was behind the wheel of – it is that he was behind the wheel drunk. These officers did the right thing following precident, their training and the law. Where do we draw the line? Is a four-wheeler a toy or a motor vehicle? What about a boat or a jet-ski? These have been proven in the past to be motor vehicles too, and the precident has been set for law enforcement officers to stop citizens who are breaking the law on any motor vehicle. Yes, the punishment may seem steep, but that is the point. Losing your license and paying a fine is supposed to help you remember not to get behind the wheel of any motor vehicle again. The next time, it could have been a much faster vehicle and could have cost a much higher price – someone’s life.
April 30th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
I believe the punishment should always fit the crime. He was driving a toy car, so… he should have been given a toy ticket, made to appear before a toy judge, and, if found guilty, required to pay the fine with Monopoly money.
May 2nd, 2010 at 7:32 pm
I’m not sure what the laws in england are but in the US, you have to have a vehicle license to place a vehicle on the road which I would certainly suspect the Barbie car lacked. Therefore the officers had a right to pull him over for operating a unlicensed vehicle on the road, which in itself could have been dangerous. Once he was pulled over, being drunk just added to his trouble.
There must also be some history we are not hearing about as the fine would be appropriate but a 3 year suspension of his license seems a bit excessive for this offense.
May 10th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
IF you do not require a license to operate it, then you cannot revoke a license for its misuse. What if he did not have a license in the first place, what would you do then? This guy deserved a fine and a night in jail, nothing more. What’s next, license suspension for WALKING drunk?????
May 25th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Couldn’t the cops have just walked him home? What is happening to this country anymore? This is beyond ridiculous.
July 12th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Jay, Barb
I think you are both wrong. The law applies to drunks on the road!!!! If he was walking he would have recieved a public intoxication citation. I am about as goofy and kid like as it gets but come on really, the road is no place to let your inner child go. Could you two please post on twitter where you plan to be driving so that I can avoid those areas? I am afraid I might be around when you decide to let your inner child go on the already dangerous roads of America. HAHAHA There is a time and place for everything, grow up act responsible and when on safe grounds let your gaurd down and enjoy that inner child without risking your safety or that of others.