Raymond Kulma, a Sterling Heights, Michigan resident, is no stranger to the police in the area. Kulma, 55, has had several altercations with local law enforcement including a , staggering, six drunken driving offenses. Kulma, once again met with police, when he stole a motorized wheelchair from a retirement village and proceeded to drive around Utica, Michigan on it while impaired.
The owner of the wheelchair has chosen not to press charges for the theft, but Kulma still faces a DUI charge. At the time of his arrest his blood alcohol content was .241. The legal BAC for driving is .08. A blood alcohol content of .24 is triple the legal limit and for most individuals would be considered heavily intoxicated. To put that in perspective a 200lb man would have to drink 12-15 beers in a short period of time to blow a .24 alcohol reading. Death is possible when BAC scores reach a .27.
While Kulma is clearly a menace to society due to his drinking problem his arrest and the news has been an eye-opener to many. Michigan laws, actually, prohibit individuals from driving any motorized vehicle while intoxicated. The law states any motorized vehicle which would include scoters, motorized bicycles, Segway’s and, yes, wheelchairs. The arrest is slightly laughable to some, but there is a serious lesson to be learned here.
The drunken driving laws in states are intended to protect the general public as well as the intoxicated party. That means that any form of driving while intoxication carries a risk to at least one party and is thus illegal. For example one may think that there is less risk while driving a Segway while drunk than, say, a motorcycle. That may be true, but there is still a risk involved. Driving a motorized wheelchair, like Kulma did, while drunk is a risk to pedestrians on the sidewalk as well as the drunken party.
There is no official word on what Kulma will be charged with, exactly, but it is likely that a seventh DUI charge will certainly be prosecuted. One has to wonder if the state will see Kulma as a large enough risk to himself and the population to force treatment for a clear problem with alcohol. With the sheer number of drunken driving charges under his belt it hardly seems like a stretch to suggest that he has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. The elderly man who owned the stolen scooter suggested that, perhaps, a jail sentence, may help Kulma learn his lesson and get his life back on track.
The owner of the wheelchair has chosen not to press charges for the theft, but Kulma still faces a DUI charge. At the time of his arrest his blood alcohol content was .241. The legal BAC for driving is .08. A blood alcohol content of .24 is triple the legal limit and for most individuals would be considered heavily intoxicated. To put that in perspective a 200lb man would have to drink 12-15 beers in a short period of time to blow a .24 alcohol reading. Death is possible when BAC scores reach a .27.
While Kulma is clearly a menace to society due to his drinking problem his arrest and the news has been an eye-opener to many. Michigan laws, actually, prohibit individuals from driving any motorized vehicle while intoxicated. The law states any motorized vehicle which would include scoters, motorized bicycles, Segway’s and, yes, wheelchairs. The arrest is slightly laughable to some, but there is a serious lesson to be learned here.
The drunken driving laws in states are intended to protect the general public as well as the intoxicated party. That means that any form of driving while intoxication carries a risk to at least one party and is thus illegal. For example one may think that there is less risk while driving a Segway while drunk than, say, a motorcycle. That may be true, but there is still a risk involved. Driving a motorized wheelchair, like Kulma did, while drunk is a risk to pedestrians on the sidewalk as well as the drunken party.
There is no official word on what Kulma will be charged with, exactly, but it is likely that a seventh DUI charge will certainly be prosecuted. One has to wonder if the state will see Kulma as a large enough risk to himself and the population to force treatment for a clear problem with alcohol. With the sheer number of drunken driving charges under his belt it hardly seems like a stretch to suggest that he has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. The elderly man who owned the stolen scooter suggested that, perhaps, a jail sentence, may help Kulma learn his lesson and get his life back on track.
RSS Feed