Driver close to five times over limit

The worst drink-driver during the Christmas-New Year period was nearly five times over the legal limit, says the Institute of Environmental Science and Research.

Breath-alcohol consultant Dr Ross Gainsford said the offender had 1900 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit is 400.

The highest reading calculated by the ESR since 1988 was 2111 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, Dr Gainsford said. That sample was taken from a woman at Napier in the 1990s.

Dr Gainsford said the average person would be grossly intoxicated with a breath level of about 2000 micrograms.