Mordialloc Chelsea Moorabbin: Cara Buchanan, Ashlee Ivankovic Kingston’s drink, drug drivers
A Edithvale relief teacher with her young children in the backseat who was busted drink driving twice is one of Kingston’s worst boozers behind the wheel.
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Women have dominated the worst drink and drug driver’s list in Kingston, with some of the most ridiculous reasons for getting behind the wheel sloshed including a Tinder date.
From a drug-driving hairdresser to drunk schoolteacher with her children in the back seat, here are some of the area’s most shocking cases.
CARA MICHELLE BUCHANAN
Teacher Cara Michelle Buchanan was banned from the road for three years after she was twice caught drink-driving — with her toddlers in the car — causing accidents both times.
The Edithvale teacher was nabbed blotto behind the wheel with her one-year-old and three-year-old in the back seat on two separate occasions, within a two-month period in 2019.
The court heard a police patrol noticed Buchanan’s car driving along Nepean Highway in Bonbeach about 6pm on October 21 last year.
Officers watched as she hit a kerb, knocked over a sign and ran over a road worker’s cone.
When she was pulled over officers found a one-year-old and a three-year-old in the back seat, and a very intoxicated Buchanan behind the wheel.
She tested positive in a roadside breath test but refused to go back to the station to give a full sample, saying she was anxious about her children.
Two months later, on December 18, Buchanan again came to the attention of police.
This time she had rear-ended a slowing car on Railway Parade in Seaford, causing enough damage to both vehicles they both were towed away.
Again with her children were in the car.
The 37-year-old pleaded guilty to two drink-driving charges at an online sitting of the Frankston Magistrates’ Court in September.
She told police she was “emotional” and had “only had one beer”.
Her defence lawyer said the relief teacher was going through a period of immense anxiety at the time and had used alcohol to self-medicate.
He said in the October incident she had been drinking before she went to buy ingredients from the shops for dinner and had panicked when pulled over.
Magistrate Charles Tan said her offending had aggravating features and deserved a longer ban than the minimum of two years off the road.
“Both times there was an accident of some sort, both times there were children there as well,” Mr Tan said.
“But I also accept you have no priors, you pleaded guilty and you have independently sourced help.”
Buchanan was convicted and fined $2000 and disqualified from driving for three years.
ASHLEE JADE IVANKOVIC
Ashlee Jade Ivankovic was pinged drug-driving in twice in two months last year, and banned for a total of eight months.
The Chelsea hairdresser told the Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court in March she had completed drug treatment, been to a psychologist and finished courses, and had not been in trouble since.
“It was a bad time in my life,” she said.
“I’ll never, ever do it again, I need to get my licence back.”
Judicial Registrar Julian Bartlett said he was not happy to take her word that she was still not using drugs.
“Drug-drivers are 30 times more likely to have an accident,” Mr Bartlett said.
“It is one of the reasons why the road toll is so high, it is more of a problem than alcohol.”
ILDI ROMANCZ
Ildi Romancz was four times over the legal limit when police caught her in a public car park as she waited for a Tinder date.
Officers saw her unregistered car parked on a strange angle at Peterson St Reserve, Highett and went to investigate about 11.25pm on January 13.
They found her heavily intoxicated behind the wheel.
She recorded a blood alcohol reading of .218.
The engine was off at the time, but the keys were still in the ignition and the car was hot to the touch.
She told police she was there for a Tinder date and had drunk two bottles of wine.
Romancz pleaded guilty to drink-driving and unregistered vehicle charges at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court in April.
“I was having a bad day that day,” Romancz said.
“I was at the park for quite some time, and had not eaten that day.
“I was going to ring my son to pick me up, sleep it off, get a taxi or walk home.”
Magistrate Dr Michael King said Romancz “couldn’t possibly” have adequately controlled her car properly.
“You put people potentially seriously at risk … a significant number of fatal accidents happen due to drink-drivers,” Dr King said.
Romancz’s driver’s licence was suspended on the spot and the car, which had a rego that had expired a month earlier, was impounded.
She was also disqualified from driving for 21 months and was handed a six-month community corrections order.
OLIVIA MILINSKI
Parkdale drink-driver Olivia Milinski sobbed as a court heard how she blew three times over the legal limit following a booze-fuelled “bad date”.
The 26-year-old was nabbed by police after witnesses spotted her behind the wheel and weaving down the road on her way home from an ill-fated night out in November 2018.
Milinski had started out with good intentions, catching the train from Parkdale to the city to meet her potential love interest.
And after downing at least four glasses of rosé, she again abided by the law, returning to Parkdale by train.
But then she walked to her car from the station, and tried to drive home.
She never made it, thanks to a police intercept.
When police pulled her over she smelt of alcohol and officers asked her to do a breath test. Milinski recorded a blood alcohol reading of .167 — well over three times the legal limit.
Milinski pleaded guilty to drink-driving and failing-to-stay-in-lane charges at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on July 23, 2019.
She said her actions were “really, really wrong” and something she deeply regretted.
“It’s been a really big lesson for me; I will never ever do it again,” Milinksi said.
Magistrate Dominic Lennon said “she could have very easily killed someone” and it was “sheer luck” that she wasn’t facing the County Court on a culpable driving charge.
But he said her lack of priors and obvious remorse weighed in her favour.
Milinski was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond and ordered to do a road trauma awareness course.
She was also disqualified from driving for 20 months.