The first drink-driving conviction may have happened in London
This article recounts the historical 1897 conviction of a London taxi driver for operating an electric cab while intoxicated. It details the legal context of the time, noting that existing laws for horse-drawn carriages were applied to the new technology.
Why it matters
It provides historical context for modern traffic laws and the evolution of transportation regulation.
On 10th September 1897, a London taxi driver became the first person in Britain — and quite possibly the world — to be convicted of drink-driving.
At the time, there were no breathalysers, no legal blood-alcohol limit and the vehicle involved in the historic incident wasn’t even petrol-powered. It was an early type of electric taxi.
Bersey electric cab on display in the Science Museum (c) ianVisits The driver was 25-year-old George Smith, who was driving one of the new Bersey electric cabs . According to news reports at the time, he was driving along New Bond Street around midnight when his cab began swerving across the road, mounted the pavement, and crashed into 165 New Bond Street.
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