A pair of provisional licence holders in New South Wales allegedly concocted a harebrained scheme to get out of being caught driving under the influence, but didn’t look far enough ahead to see police watching on.
Leichhardt Highway Patrol officers were conducting random testing on Sydney’s City West Link when a Toyota HiAce was seen stopping in the left-hand lane, with its driver and passenger allegedly swapping seats.
The seat swap was witnessed by not only other motorists but also police officers, who subsequently stopped the van.
The ‘driver’ – who had only just taken control of the vehicle – allegedly deceitfully produced a driver’s licence which wasn’t his New South Wales licence. Subsequent checks found he held a provisional licence.
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While this includes zero tolerance for alcohol, a breath test allegedly produced a positive blood-alcohol content (BAC) level – between 0.05 and 0.079 – and he also tested positive for cocaine.
He was issued penalty notices for low-range drink driving, not displaying P plates when required and not carrying his licence, resulting in a three-month licence suspension.
Meanwhile, his ‘passenger’ mate – who had been driving the HiAce prior to the swap – was also found to be a P-plater with a prior licence suspension. He allegedly also tested positive for cocaine.
The second male has been issued a court attendance notice for driving on a suspended licence.
Drug samples from both men have been sent for analysis, with the outcome to potentially lead to further penalties.
It’s an offence for a motorist to have any amount of illegal drugs such as cocaine in their system.
On September 1, 2024, a new law was introduced in New South Wales, granting police more power to arrest alleged drug drivers on the spot.
