Reporoa vice: Man loses grip on driving reality

A Reporoa man caught driving with vice grips instead of a steering wheel has lost his licence for six months.

When police pulled over Hayden Angus John Lamb's Toyota Corolla on State Highway 1 near Taupo last month they discovered he was controlling the car with a pair of vice grips attached to the steering rod.

The 18-year-old yesterday appeared in the Taupo District Court where he pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless driving. Judge Chris McGuire convicted him on the charge and disqualified him from driving for six months.

The police summary of facts said the car was pulled over because of its dilapidated looking state and police were astounded to find Lamb sitting in the driver's seat with no steering wheel attached to the column. Lamb told police the thread had worn off the steering rod so the wheel wouldn't stay attached. He believed the vice grips were firmly attached and didn't think it was a major problem.

Judge McGuire said he didn't want to appear flippant about the charge but vice grips were a fairly sturdy and effective tool the last time he used them. However, using them to drive a car was bizarre, he said.

After the court hearing yesterday Constable Peter Stringfellow described the case as one-in-a-million. He said fellow officers thought it was "just crazy" when he told them about stopping the car with vice grips for a steering wheel.

"There is a funny side but it is just so crazy. It's like, 'are you for real?"'

Sergeant Dave Frazer said such cases were certainly few and far between.