Drink, drive message not sinking in

Drunk driver causes damage at two residences

A drunk driver woke up residents at O’oa on the back road of Tupapa early Thursday morning, crashing a car through hedging and plants before coming to rest in another Tupapa resident’s concrete wall about a kilometre away.
The noisy drama started after 1.30am when the driver – described as a Fiji woman – told witnesses at the first scene that she was “looking for someone”. She was determined by the residents to be intoxicated, refused to stop driving despite being encouraged not to. Before driving off, she caused extensive damage to the vehicle and surrounding property.
The drunk driver headed off toward Avarua where she took a turn off the back road at Punamaia and veered off the side road, smashing a concrete wall, wooden fencing and shrubs. Police identified the driver as a 27 year old Nikao resident. She was lucky to have escaped serious injury but was reportedly taken to hospital and treated for a cut foot. The woman appears to have been helped by the vehicle’s air bags, which inflated as a result of the crash.
Police confirmed that the Fiji woman was found to have an Excess Breath Alcohol reading. Investigations are continuing into the woman, and Police say the nature of the charges will depend on the connection between the two early morning incidents - the first occurring after 1.30am and the second at around 2am.
This case of reckless driving involving a drunk driver comes a week after a double fatality involving two young men on a motorbike, who crashed into an oncoming car in the early hours of the morning. Police say people’s attitudes need to change toward drinking and driving.

Headlines : Times 290 02 March 2009
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