Oliver Anderson: P-plate teen blew .151 two weeks after passing test
A 19-year-old boozer had his Ps a fortnight when he thought he could get away with driving while three times over. He was wrong.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
The ink was barely dry on a uni student’s new P-plate licence when he was caught plastered behind the wheel.
Oliver Anderson racked up an alcohol reading of .151 after downing “three beers” at his pal’s place and then stupidly jumping behind the wheel to drive less than a kilometre home.
The Frankston 19-year-old would well have known from the test he had taken just two weeks before that as a P-plater he should have been zero.
He pleaded guilty to drink-driving at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
The court heard police were patrolling Frankston about 3am on December 29 last year when they saw a car pull into a driveway and then immediately reverse out.
Curious as to what was going on, officers intercepted the car and asked the driver for a chat.
Anderson, who was the sole occupant, tested positive in a preliminary breath test and then blew .151 back at the station.
His car was impounded and he lost his licence on the spot.
He told police he had been drinking with friends nearby and was hungry, so decided to drive the 500m to his home.
Anderson, a RMIT international business student, represented himself in court.
He said he was scared and nervous and extremely remorseful for his actions.
“This has taught me to grow up,” Anderson said.
“I understand the extremity of what I had done.
“At the time I was stupid and immature.”
Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said for a young man with no prior history this was a bad start to adult life.
“For someone only 19 this is a spectacular introduction to criminal law,” Mr Lethbridge said.
“It is a serious matter because of the potential for endangerment.
“The younger the driver, the more inexperienced the driver, the greater the risk they pose to the community.”
Mr Lethbridge told Anderson he accepted it was out of character behaviour and he had acted impulsively on that occasion.
“This is your chance to grow up, to learn from a very significant mistake.”
He was fined $1250 and disqualified from driving for 15 months, backdated to December last year.
No conviction was recorded.
