Plea of sobriety falls flat after ‘shocking’ breath test result

A call to Police about a swerving car in Nelson potentially saved lives, and the breath test result left officers stunned.

The caller rang Police about 6.45pm on Thursday, to say a vehicle was “all over the road” and had three near-misses with other motorists. The car in question was driving northbound on Tahunanui Drive, before pulling over at a convenience store. The caller waited and relayed the direction of the car to Police as it left.

“By that time, three units were looking for the vehicle,” says Sergeant Mike Thom. The details from the caller helped Police locate the swerving car and officers stopped it on Bishopdale Avenue.

“After we stopped the driver, another motorist pulled up to tell us ‘that guy shouldn’t be driving’.”

A breath screening test agreed: the driver returned a result that was nearly five times the legal limit.

The legal limit is 250mcg of alcohol per litre of breath. Any result over 400mcg results in a court appearance.

“This was a shockingly high reading and put the driver, other road users, and anyone around him at serious risk of harm. He denied drinking, but the results disagreed with him.

“The member of the public who reported the driving potentially saved lives,” Sergeant Thom says. “If you see concerning driving, report it to us so we can take action – it could make all the difference.”

A 25-year-old man was arrested and charged with driving with excess breath alcohol and has been suspended from driving for 28 days. He is expected to appear in the Nelson District Court on 30 April.