Police stop drug-impaired e-scooter riders in KL
In Kaiserslautern, police pulled several electric scooter riders off the road on Friday and in the early hours of Saturday because they were travelling under the influence of narcotics. The operations by the Kaiserslautern police directorate once again show that drug abuse is not only a serious safety issue in cars, but increasingly on e-scooters as well. Both cases ended with criminal charges being filed for driving under the influence.
Check in Fischerstraße
At around 1:22 p.m., a patrol of the Kaiserslautern police directorate noticed an e-scooter rider in Fischerstraße. The officers stopped the man and carried out a traffic check. During the conversation with the officers, the 20-year-old made statements that gave police reason for further investigation.
The young man stated that he had smoked a joint the previous evening. He also reported that he regularly consumed benzodiazepines. Based on these admissions, the officers had sufficient suspicion of driving under the influence of narcotics. The 20-year-old was then taken to the police station, where a doctor took a blood sample. This sample serves forensic purposes and can be used as evidence in a subsequent criminal proceeding.
Positive drug test in Merkurstraße
In the early hours of Saturday, shortly after 1 a.m., a patrol spotted another electric scooter rider in Merkurstraße. In this case too, the rider's behaviour caught the officers' attention. The 48-year-old showed drug-related signs that, in the patrol's assessment, justified a targeted check.
The man was offered a voluntary rapid drug test. Police use this procedure when there is suspicion that a person is under the influence of intoxicants. The test came back positive for the substance groups THC and amphetamine. THC is the psychoactive component of cannabis; amphetamines are synthetic stimulants and are considered particularly dangerous in road traffic.
The 48-year-old also had to accompany the patrol to the police station. There, a blood sample was taken from him as well. As in the first case, the sample serves to medically secure traces that can be evaluated in a subsequent investigation.
Legal consequences and dangers in road traffic
For both men, riding the e-scooter under the influence of drugs results in criminal charges for driving under the influence. In Germany, Section 316a of the Criminal Code penalises operating vehicles while under the influence of intoxicating substances. E-scooters with a permitted maximum speed of more than 20 kilometres per hour are legally classified as motor vehicles and are subject to the same regulations as cars or motorcycles.
Narcotics significantly impair reaction time, concentration and judgement. Cannabis can slow perception and disrupt coordination. Amphetamines may briefly increase alertness but often lead to overestimation of one's own abilities and risky driving behaviour. Benzodiazepines have a sedative effect and can greatly reduce fitness to drive. Combining different substances further increases these risks.
E-scooters as a growing area of enforcement
With both cases, the Kaiserslautern police directorate highlights an increasingly relevant field of operations. Electric scooters are ubiquitous in German city centres and used by a broad range of people. At the same time, the number of traffic checks in which riders are found to be under the influence of drugs is rising. The checks in Fischerstraße and Merkurstraße show that police patrols are also actively looking for violations during the day and in the early morning hours.
The West Palatinate police headquarters regularly emphasises that road safety for all road users is the top priority. Driving under the influence of drugs not only poses a risk to the riders concerned, but also endangers pedestrians, cyclists and other road users. The blood samples in both cases form the basis for further investigations by the responsible public prosecutor's office.
Course of the police measures
In both cases, the officers followed a standardised procedure: first the rider was stopped and checked, then concrete suspicion of drug influence was established. While the 20-year-old admitted his substance use himself, the check on the 48-year-old was based on external signs and a positive rapid test. Both proceedings were concluded with the taking of a blood sample. The two incidents occurred within a few hours of each other in different parts of Kaiserslautern, indicating that drug-impaired e-scooter riding is not an isolated phenomenon in the city.
The results of the laboratory tests are usually forwarded to the responsible investigative authorities. Depending on the outcome, this can lead to fine proceedings, revocation of a driving licence or criminal proceedings. For e-scooter riders, this means: even those who do not need a conventional driving licence can face long-term consequences for serious violations.
Experts point out that consuming cannabis and other narcotics can impair fitness to drive for hours after use. On e-scooters, which are often rented and used spontaneously, many riders underestimate the danger. Police in Kaiserslautern are responding to this trend with increased checks, focusing on both prevention and consistent enforcement.
The Kaiserslautern police directorate appeals to all road users to travel on electric scooters only when sober and with caution. Anyone who has consumed narcotics should refrain from driving and choose alternative means of transport. The recent checks in Kaiserslautern make clear that police take this issue seriously and enforce it consistently.
