Australian man gets cooled off by cops for driving motorized cooler

Yes, that is a tiny motorized cooler strapped on a flatbed tow truck

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I’ve never driven a motorized cooler in my nearly 25 years of holding a valid Ontario driver’s license. Until today, I didn’t know they existed, let alone know that in Australia, you need to have a driver’s license to operate one.

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One unlucky chap Down Under learned this lesson, too, but the harder way, after having his motorized cooler (called an “Esky,” after the Australian brand of cooler) impounded for two reasons, as per the Swan Hill Police Service .

First, he was operating it on a foot path in Victoria Street Kerang. Okay, I get that — foot paths are for feet, not wheels. Secondly, he didn’t have (and has never had) a driver’s license. Yes, based off the image of the Esky, it seems silly. But the law is the law, and according to this website , you can’t use an Esky without a license.
If there’s a positive note here, the driver was fully sober.

A 30-day impoundment and a summons to appear in court are what’s ahead for the young man who now can use the aforementioned footpath legally.

Let’s wrap this up with that hilarious lead image, shall we? Yes, that is a flatbed tow truck with the Esky securely strapped to it, making it a candidate for my personal “2021 Picture Of The Year” award. Did they winch it? Was it manually lifted onto the bed?

It’s a bit of overkill, although they must not have had any other option, as you really couldn’t hook up an Esky to a traditional tow truck.

But let me say this: If I had a time machine, my first destination would be to a point where I could get to Australia in time to witness this tow firsthand.