COLUMBIA, SC (AP) -- Driving drunk on a mo-ped would become illegal in South Carolina under a bill given initial approval.
A House panel voted 5-0 on Tuesday to send the measure to the full Education and Public Works Committee.
Current state law specifically excludes mo-peds from the definition of a motor vehicle. The measure would remove the exclusion, allowing officers to charge drunken mo-ped drivers with driving under the influence.
Republican Rep. Derham Cole of Spartanburg says legislators need to tighten the law to help prosecutors make the roads safer.
Law enforcement officers say people often get around on a mo-ped after losing their driver's license. If they are stopped for driving drunk, they can be charged with public disorderly conduct.
Officers supporting the change include Public Safety Director Mark Keel.
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