Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
A Dunedin man who drank two beers for breakfast after celebrating the birth of a friend's baby was more than four times the legal limit when stopped by police mid-morning.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said a 33-year-old man on a motorbike was stopped at a checkpoint in Blackhead Road at 10.25am on Saturday after a heavy night of drinking.
While stopped, the man told police he had been out celebrating the birth of his friend's new baby the night before, woke up Saturday morning and drank two beers for breakfast.
He then took a motorbike out for a ride around the city, despite not being licensed to do so.
The man underwent breath testing procedures and recorded a breath alcohol level of 1067mcg - more than four times the legal limit of 250mcg.
He was forbidden from driving motorcycles, his licence was suspended for 28 days and was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. He will appear in Dunedin District Court at a later date.
The motorcyclist was one of 22 people who were caught drink driving in the city over the weekend, Bond said.
This morning at 1.45am, police signalled for a vehicle in the South Dunedin area to stop, however the vehicle turned off its headlights and took off at speed, driving at 110km/h in the 50km zone for about 20 seconds, Bond said.
The driver, a 25-year-old man, came to a stop and was arrested, however, refused to exit the car when asked to by police.
He underwent breath testing procedures and recorded a breath alcohol level of 415mcg.
Police found the man had a knife strapped to his leg and he admitted to also smoking cannabis just before driving.
The man was charged with failure to stop, dangerous driving, possession of an offensive weapon and drink driving.
On Saturday, police stopped a 22-year-old woman who was spotted driving at 106km/h along the 60km/h zone in Cumberland Street.
She underwent breath testing procedures and recorded a breath alcohol level of 577mcg.
Her licence was suspended for 28 days and received summons to appear in court at a later date.
Bond said it was "disappointing to see so many drink drivers as well as the broad spectrum of ages".
The youngest drink driver caught this weekend was a 21-year-old man who on Sunday at 9am told officers he stopped before driving though a police checkpoint in Great King Street because he needed to "tie his shoelaces".
He recorded a breath alcohol of 333mcg.
The oldest was a 73-year-old man who on Saturday at 6pm failed to give way at a roundabout on Main South Road and was observed by officers swerving over the road.
He was stopped and recorded a breath alcohol level of 738mcg.
"It's not just happening in the evenings or the middle of the night, we have people drink driving at 10am ... it's concerning that people still heading about their business for all hours of the day while under the influence of alcohol.
"This is the reason why we continue to do checkpoints and breath test people, because unfortunately, we're still catching them."
- This story was originally published by the Otago Daily Times.