Police are appalled an allegedly drunk 16-year-old schoolboy drove a van carrying 11 other young people on a "booze cruise" in Oamaru on Saturday night.
"It's a disaster waiting to happen - not only for those in the van but other road users," Acting Sergeant Ross Lory, of Oamaru, said yesterday.
When stopped by police, the Oamaru teenager recorded a breath-alcohol level of 855mcg - more than double the 400mcg adult legal limit and almost six times the 150mcg limit for a person under the age of 20, he said.
Others in the vehicle had been drinking, police said.
Acting Sgt Lory said the incident showed the need for more control over young people on so-called "booze cruises".
Today, the Waitaki District Council will consider submissions on a review of its liquor ban bylaw.
Two submissions suggest banning open containers of alcohol in vehicles in the Waitaki district.
Waitaki Guardians volunteer and former Oamaru police Sergeant Derek Beveridge and the Waitaki Safer Community Trust said the move would save lives of young people by effectively banning such behaviour.
The incident in Oamaru at the weekend has parallels to a fatal crash on the outskirts of Napier about 2am on Saturday.
A van carrying seven people aged between 16 and 19 collided with an oncoming car after crossing the centreline on State Highway 50.
Two of those in the van were killed.
They had been at a party and police described the crash as "a lethal combination" of youth, alcohol and driving.
In the Oamaru incident, police were contacted by members of the public because of the behaviour of those in the van and the way it was being driven.
When police stopped the vehicle about 11.50pm, 12 people, including the driver, were in the van.
The 16-year-old driver, who has been referred to youth aid, has been charged with drink-driving and his licence has been suspended for 28 days.
Acting Sgt Lory said the Oamaru incident was "bad timing" after the fatal Napier crash.
"It's [the Oamaru incident] a concern for two reasons - the level of intoxication and the number of people in the van.
"It puts them in danger and everyone else on the road as well," he said.
Students Against Driving Drunk chairwoman Lana Ennis described the incident as "terrible".
"It had potential to hurt a lot of people; not just them, but others and their families," she said, when contacted.
Waitaki community safety officer Alison Banks said, when contacted, the combination of a relatively inexperienced driver, relatively inexperienced consumers of alcohol and a false sense of invincibility and immortality was a tragedy in the making.
