KEY POINTS:
William Short lost the youngest of his five children to a repeat drink-driver.
Two days later, as his sister and daughter were returning from making the funeral arrangements, they were hit by another suspected drink-driver.
Mr Short, an 88-year-old war veteran, is calling on the community to take a stand against drink-driving.
"This is murder," he says.
"At the moment, New Zealand people can't be sure they're going to go down the road and get there."
Mr Short's son, Simon, 37, was one of three people killed when Gordon Armstrong - who had four drink-driving convictions and was over the limit - drove his car into their motorcycles on April 29.
Police yesterday revealed that Armstrong, 53, was 12mg over the limit of 80mg per 100ml of blood, but said his actual reading was likely to have been much higher.
The blood sample was taken from Armstrong four hours after the crash.
The crash also killed Simon's partner, Toni Dommerholt-Purchase, and their friend Leon Mason.
Armstrong, who had been drinking with family and friends, died later of his injuries.
Mr Short said someone could have stopped Armstrong getting in the car, and he supported any measure, including reconsideration of breath and blood alcohol limits, to stop drink-driving.
"The big problem is irresponsibility," Mr Short said.
"We've lost that sense of responsibility in a community for oneself and for each other."
Mr Mason's family were highly critical of Armstrong's family, saying they had been irresponsible for failing to stop him from driving.
In the second crash involving Mr Short's family, his daughter, Ruth, escaped injury but his 83-year-old sister, Mary, was taken to hospital with broken bones in her neck and elbow and a seriously injured hand.
Police plan to charge a man who claimed to be the driver, but Ruth and Mary said the real driver was the man's father, who was so drunk "he could hardly stand up".
Police also suspect the man took the blame for his father, but have been unable to prove it.
