‘I’ve had a couple’: Man’s wild response after allegedly drink driving in car full of beer cans
A man has offered a bold explanation after being caught allegedly exceeding the speed limit and driving with more than a dozen empty beer cans in his car in a coastal Queensland town.
Police were patrolling the Bruce Highway in Guthalungra, about 140km south of Townsville, about 11.30am on January 17 when they intercepted a red Suzuki Swift.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Footage released by Queensland Police showed multiple officers surrounding the driver, before he pulled over to the side of the road.
The 53-year-old Craiglie man was pulled over by police, who allege he was driving at 148km/h in a 100km/h zone.
Officers then asked if the driver had consumed any liquor.
“I can smell the alcohol emitting from the vehicle,” the officer said.
In response, the driver said: “I’ve had a couple”.
Looking down, the officer noticed a can of beer at the driver’s feet.
“I can see an empty can at your feet,” the officer said.
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” the driver responded.
He denied drinking while driving, but produced a blood-alcohol level of 0.111.
As the man sat in the behind the wheel of the car, officers located “multiple cans” of beer under his seat.
The officers could be seen pulling several empty beer cans from under the driver’s seat and stacking them up, before moving the back seat and discovering a bag filled with more empty cans.
The 53-year-old’s license was immediately suspended and was charged with one count of driving a motor vehicle while over the middle alcohol limit.
He was also issued a traffic infringement notice for exceeding the speed limit by more than 40km/h.
He was also slapped with a $1919 fine and received eight demerit points.
“It is extremely dangerous to speed or get behind the wheel while you are impaired by an intoxicating substance which impacts your ability to judge distance, speed, reduces your co-ordination and concentration, and distorts your perception of time, place and space,” Townsville Highway Patrol acting senior sergeant Nathan Ivey said.
“Road safety is a shared duty, and everyone who makes the decision to get behind the wheel has a responsibility to ensure everyone makes it home safe.
“The QPS is committed to reducing the number of lives lost on Queensland roads, and we want to remind all road users to drive to the conditions and abide by the road rules.”
Originally published as ‘I’ve had a couple’: Man’s wild response after allegedly drink driving in car full of beer cans
