The 15-year-old driver of a vehicle that crashed near Alexandra on Saturday was so intoxicated he had trouble standing.
And a parent of the driver, who was in the vehicle, was also drunk, Central Otago sub-area supervisor Senior Sergeant Ian Kerrisk, of Alexandra, said.
Emergency services were called to the single-vehicle crash on Little Valley Rd, on the outskirts of Alexandra, just after 7pm.
A ''people mover'' vehicle with four people inside had rolled, leaving debris scattered across the road.
All four people in the car were intoxicated, Snr Sgt Kerrisk said. The driver was so drunk he had difficulty standing.
No-one was injured but the incident was ''a disaster waiting to happen'', Snr Sgt Kerrisk said.
''It's sheer luck that they didn't end up killing themselves or other road users.''
Snr Sgt Kerrisk said police had been shocked to discover the driver was a ''heavily intoxicated, unlicensed 15-year-old'', and the attitude of the young driver and ''the choice of the parent who allowed him to drive were disappointing''.
''We put a lot of work into educating people about driving safely and not drinking and driving and have [had] a highly visible presence on our local roads this weekend, but people are still choosing to put themselves and others at risk.''
When the driver became unco-operative, he was arrested for refusing to accompany police for a breath test, Snr Sgt Kerrisk said.
A later test returned a reading over the adult legal limit of 400mcg.
The 15-year-old is being referred to Youth Aid.
