Edithvale teacher crashed twice while drunk with her two young kids in the back seat of her car
A Edithvale relief teacher has been busted drink driving twice, both times causing accidents. And she shockingly had her tiny children in the car with her both times.
South East
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A teacher twice caught drink-driving with her two toddlers in the car — causing accidents both times — has been banned from the road for three years.
Cara Michelle Buchanan was nabbed blotto behind the wheel with her one-year-old and three-year-old in the back seat on two separate occasions in a two-month period last year.
Once she refused an evidentiary breath test after proving positive in a preliminary and in a second incident she had to be taken to hospital, with her blood sample reading four times over the limit.
The 37-year-old from Edithvale pleaded guilty to two drink-driving related charges at an online sitting of the Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The court heard at around 6pm on October 21 last year a police patrol noticed Buchanan’s car driving along Nepean Highway in Bonbeach.
They watched as she hit a kerb, knocked over a sign and ran over a road workers’ cone — which ended up 800m further up the street.
When she was pulled over officers saw 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.
But just 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 that they had to be towed away.
Again her children were in the car.
She told police she was “emotional” and had “only had one beer”.
Buchanan was taken to hospital for observation, with her blood sample registering .216.
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 get ingredients from the shops for dinner and she had panicked when pulled over.
He said the second time she had been drinking on a beach before going to pick up her children from daycare when the accident happened.
He said since then Buchanan had done alcohol rehab twice and had shown insight into her drinking problems.
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.
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