Extraordinary cases found in 2500-car drunk driver blitz

Police like Ian Campion are staggered by the behaviour of drunk drivers over the holidays. Photo / Jimmy Joe

Police continue to be amazed at the behaviour of drunk drivers, particularly youths, they have caught during the holidays.

The worst cases uncovered in a blitz that stopped 2500 drivers in the Bay of Plenty this weekend included a truck driver who drove through a checkpoint and a drunk 19-year-old golf professional who breached a restricted licence.

A drunk teenage driver was also more than eight times the legal alcohol limit when police breath tested him in Christchurch.

Police communications Inspector Warren Kemp said the man in Christchurch blew a reading of 12 02 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit for his age is 150mcg.

Sergeant Mike Owen of the Highway Patrol Group in Te Puke said eleven motorists were found to be over the legal alcohol limit in the weekend operation in the Bay of Plenty. Seven of them were under the age of 20.

A 19-year-old male golf professional from Auckland recorded a result of 674 micrograms alcohol per litre of breath. Mr Owen said it was a staggering four and a half times his legal limit of 150mcg. The youth also breached his restricted licence by carrying unauthorised passengers.

Another 19-year-old male was caught in the early hours of December 28 for driving while disqualified and giving false details.

A 53-year-old male driver of a large truck and trailer unit carrying two sprint cars drove through an alcohol checkpoint on Mauganui Road at 2am on Sunday. He bowled road cones and was stopped by a police car. He was found to have a breath alcohol level of 842 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit for his age is 400mcg.

The driver had his licence suspended immediately and will be charged with dangerous driving.

- NZPA