KEY POINTS:
Police booked 220 drunk drivers this weekend in the Counties-Manukau area, including one woman with three young children in the car.
9,429 drivers were stopped in Operation Safer Counties-Manukau, with those returning positive results facing prosecution in the next fortnight. 29 drivers had blood samples taken and are awaiting results.
Police say some drivers obtained keys and drove again.
One 19-year-old stopped at Manukau and blew 400 - the limit for that age is 150mg. The keys were given to a sober licensed driver, but the youth was stopped again four hours later at East Tamaki where he blew 580. He told police he had gone home and had 'a few more beers'. He was arrested for driving while forbidden.
Inspector Heather Wells said: "They do anything to try and get home and by doing so put other peoples lives at risk."
One vehicle, which later proved to be unroadworthy, was observed travelling at high speed before hit locked the brakes and skidded 90 metres, narrowly missing several patrol cars. The driver refused all tests.
In the early hours of this morning an alcohol-impaired driver failed to stop at a checkpoint and crashed into the rear of parked vehicles. Of the three other vehicles one was extensively damaged.
Several drivers returned a reading in excess of 1000 micrograms a number of these being females. One of these females also had 3 young children in the car.
- NZ HERALD
