MOT Tester fails his own road test!

Garage MOT Tester handed an 18-month ban after drunken e-scooter tumble

There are MOT failures…and then there’s this.

An Ashington MOT tester, whose day job involves deciding whether the rest of us are safe to drive, has found himself on the receiving end of a rather different kind of roadworthiness test.

According to court reports, 56-year-old David Matthewson lost control of a rental electric scooter while travelling along a road in Bedlington, causing him to fall into the carriageway. The scooter then struck another car, prompting police to attend the scene.

Rather than trying to wriggle out of it, prosecutors told the court that Matthewson was immediately honest with officers, admitting he would “probably fail” a roadside breath test. Unfortunately, he was right.

He later pleaded guilty to drink-driving and was disqualified from driving for 18 months.

That’s got to sting.

Imagine walking into work on Monday morning.

“So… what have you got booked in today?”

“Three Class 4s, a Transit, and apparently… a bus pass.”

The irony isn’t exactly subtle.

Here’s a man who probably spends his working day explaining to customers why their steering isn’t quite up to scratch….before demonstrating, later that evening, exactly what happens when steering and judgement both decide to clock off early.

For anyone who still thinks electric scooters are “just toys”, this case is another timely reminder that rental e-scooters are treated as motor vehicles under UK road traffic law. That means the same drink-driving laws apply as they do for cars, with the same serious penalties, including lengthy driving bans.

And while it’s easy to chuckle at the irony, the incident also highlights a serious message. Alcohol impairs reaction times, judgement and balance, three things that are rather useful when riding any vehicle on a public road.