A heavily intoxicated 38-year-old Dunedin woman was given a rude awakening by Dunedin police after she fell asleep at the wheel of her car at an Andersons Bay service station.
The woman parked beside a petrol pump at 5am and was so intoxicated she slumped forward on to her steering wheel and went to sleep early on Saturday, Senior Sergeant Mel Aitken said.
The woman was charged with drink-driving after recording a level of 1122mcg, she said.
The legal breath-alcohol limit is 400mcg.
"What can you say? That's close to three times the legal limit.
"She was lucky she didn't kill herself, let alone someone else.
"Her actions put others at risk."
Snr Sgt Aitken said the woman was one of 10 drivers charged with drink-driving in Dunedin during the weekend.
The arrests were not part of a breath-testing campaign, but were part of day-to-day police work.
"That was pretty woeful," Snr Sgt Aitken said.
Each weekend, about five drivers were routinely charged in Dunedin with drink-driving offences.
However, in the past two weekends, the number apprehended had risen to about 10, she said.
"This was just a routine weekend with nothing happening.
"There were no major events on. This behaviour is unacceptable."
An 18-year-old male recorded a level of 486mcg - more than three times the legal youth limit of 150mcg.
"We live in a city where there are taxis running 24/7.
"There are other means of getting home," Snr Sgt Aitken said.
Drinking drivers would be targeted in a two-week campaign due to start in Dunedin next month, she said.
