Drunk driver ‘blamed society’ for COVID-19 fine

Two Melbourne men received multiple fines from Police and they served up a strange reason for being caught out of home.

A man busted for breaking coronavirus lockdown said he “blamed society” for not knowing how to change a flat tyre.

Victoria Police patrolling Warrandyte found a Nissan Pulsar with severe damage to a front wheel blocking the road at 3am.

Police said a 19-year-old Eltham man driving the car got a puncture and continued to drive until he couldn’t go any further “as he, nor his passenger, didn’t know how to change a tyre”.

Officers said drivers stopped late at night did not know how to change a tyre. Photo: Victoria Police

“The driver and his passenger, a 22-year-old Ringwood man, both stated it was not their fault that they did not know to change a tyre and blamed society for not teaching them,” Police said.

The men were fined $1652 each for breaking coronavirus restrictions.

Victoria Police have charged more than 500 people with lockdown breaches in recent weeks.

Police said the driver also failed a roadside breath test, returning a result of 0.162. He is expected to be charged with drink driving.

A survey commissioned by Jax Tyres in 2015 found that 40 per cent of Australian drivers did not know how to change a flat, with one in five Millennials unsure of where to find their spare tyre.