Man caught drink driving twice in two hours

An hour and a half after having his keys confiscated, the 37-year-old man was stopped by police behind the wheel of the same vehicle. Photo / File

A drunk driver whose keys were confiscated this morning in the Waikato after he was caught four times over the legal limit was stopped by police a second time, just an hour and a half later, behind the wheel of the same vehicle.

Police caught the 37-year-old male after being alerted by members of the public in Morrinsville at about 8.30am.

He was stopped in his utility vehicle on Studholme St and when breathalysed by police, returned a test result of 1020mgs.

The legal alcohol limit for an adult driver is 250mgs.

Waikato Police District Commander, Superintendent Bruce Bird, said the man was processed for excess breath alcohol, had his keys taken off him, and was subject to a 28-day driving suspension.

"So imagine my staff's surprise when they encountered him behind the wheel of the same vehicle on Morrice Ave about an hour and a half later," Mr Bird said.

When breath-tested a second time, the man returned a result of 939mgs.

Mr Bird said it was appalling behaviour that put the lives of the individuals concerned and those of innocent people at risk. He said in this situation it was difficult to judge what the most appalling aspect was.

"The man's absolute disregard for the law and the safety of other motorists, or the fact that this is the second incident of this nature to occur in the Waikato in recent weeks."

Police ran "Operation Stock-Take" in Hamilton at the start of the month, which focused on preventing alcohol harm by targeting drunk drivers entering or leaving the CBD,

Mr Bird said on the night of December 5/6 another man returned near identical results from two breath tests in the space of two hours.

He said he had a simple message to the public and an even simpler one for recidivist drink drivers.

"The pleasing thing here is the public are telling us enough is enough and we're listening. I thank those people for their courage and interventions. Over the past few days we've had a number of incidents where drivers have alerted us to concerning behaviour on our roads, your actions in these circumstances do save lives.

"To the recidivist drink drivers my message is: grow up. Think about your actions, think about the consequences and think about how you can make a difference. Already this year alcohol and/or drugs have been contributing factors in 15 fatal crashes in the Waikato, your decisions can kill."