Nayte Saaga: Pimpama teen drink driver tells police don’t bother with breath test after M1 crash - court

A Pimpama teen drink driver told officer he would fail a roadside test and police wouldn’t need to bother - before blowing over three times the legal limit. Read what happened here.

Nayte Saaga, 19, was sentenced for driving while under the influence of liquor at the Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday. Picture: Facebook

A man who crashed his car on the M1 told officers on scene he would fail a roadside test and not to bother before he blew three times over the legal limit, a court has heard

Nayte Saaga, 19, pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor when he appeared in the Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The court heard police were called to a non-injury accident on the Pacific Motorway northbound lane near Helensvale around 5am on December 15, 2024.

The incident was reported by multiple members of the public with a towing company calling for urgent police attendance as one of the men appeared to be under the influence and causing a scene.

Saaga in happier times. Picture: Amy Jordee

Police arrived a short time later and saw two vehicles on opposite sides of the motorway and several people standing on the shoulder of the road.

The court heard Saaga told officers he was going to fail the roadside test and police didn’t need to bother with it.

Police observed Saaga was waving his hands while talking to them and his speech was slurred.

Officers tried to do a roadside breath test but he kept moving forward.

The court heard police pushed Saga backwards but when he kept moving forward, they shoved him hard in the chest and used open hand tactics to get him to the ground and place him under arrest.

He was transported to Coomera police station where he provided a sample of breath.

The court heard that Saaga’s Blood Alcohol Concentration was 0.187. Picture: Instagram

His tests returned a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.187 – more than three times over the legal limit.

Saaga’s defence solicitor Tam Elabbasi from TWC Lawyers told the court his client had been off the road since the incident in December last year.

He said Saaga was not working but had applied for more than 50 jobs.

Mr Elabbasi said most of the jobs were quite remote and because Saaga has no driver’s licence, it had affected his prospects of finding employment.

The court heard Saaga had no criminal history prior to the accident and had completed the Queensland Traffic Offenders program.

Acting Magistrate Sarah Thompson took into account Saaga’s age and limited traffic history.

“I hope you understand how serious this offence is,” she said to Saaga. “To have that level of intoxication on the highway, you’re very lucky something more serious didn’t occur.”

He was fined $600 and disqualified from obtaining a driver’s licence for six months.

A conviction was not recorded.