Drink blitz snares young city drivers

Police are concerned at the high number of young people caught in a drink-driver blitz around Auckland City at the weekend.

Among those caught was a 19-year-old woman who gave a reading of 1050 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, two and a half times over the legal limit of 400mcg.

It was her second excess breath alcohol offence. Auckland City road policing manager Inspector Gavin Macdonald said 7461 drivers were breath-tested over two mornings at strategic city checkpoints.

A total of 147 were detected driving with excess breath alcohol, 37 of them under the age of 20.

Mr Macdonald said he was concerned not only very by the numbers of young people being caught but also the high readings that they were returning. Sixteen vehicles were impounded and 51 people had their licences suspended after returning a reading of more than 650mcg of alcohol per litre of breath.

One person was arrested for stealing a motor vehicle.

- NZPA