DETROIT – It’s believed that humans first domesticated horses roughly 6,000 years ago.
There’s evidence that humans have been intentionally fermenting beverages to create alcohol for about 13,000 years ago.
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Clearly, during the overlap of alcohol and horse taming, multiple people have combined the two like an unethical and dangerous peanut butter cup.
So -- How does the law feel about that?
Detroit seldom gets ranked as the best at something -- except pizza. Heck, we’re not even the most profane city (but we’re close!).
A new survey revealed Michigan’s biggest city is ranked No. 1 for lowest DUI rates in the country.
Read: What Michigan city ranks #1 lowest for DUIs?
When the story was posted, there were quite a few people who didn’t read the story and just began to speculate which Michigan city it could be. Many people speculated Mackinac Island, which makes sense since automobiles have been banned on the island since 1898.
The reason why Detroit was No. 1 and not Mackinac Island is because the study was per capita. Detroit has 0.02 DUIs for every 1,000 drivers.
Less than 600 people live on Mackinac Island. If just one of them gets ticketed for riding a bike after having a few drinks, it would be ranked No. 1 for the highest DUI rates. It didn’t make the list because there aren’t many drivers on the historic summer getaway.
But it does have bikes. And it does have horses, which are famously known for not being vehicles.
Michigan Vehicle Code says otherwise.
“A person riding an animal or driving an animal-drawn vehicle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all the duties, criminal penalties, and civil sanctions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except those provisions of this chapter which by their very nature may not have application.”
Michigan Vehicle Code 257.604
I’m no horse lawyer, but I believe that means horse riders have to follow the same rules as other vehicles (within reason -- a horse can’t go on the Lodge because nonmotorized traffic isn’t allowed on freeways and a horse can’t do sick donuts).
And since horses are included in the Michigan Vehicle Code, riders and people operating animal-drawn vehicles can get a DUI or OWI.
However, horseback riders are exempt from Michigan’s hands-free cellphone law since it only applies to motor vehicles, so feel free to text while you trot.
Again, I am not a horse lawyer, don’t take that as sound legal advice.
