A MAREEBA driver arrested after allegedly blowing four times the legal limit as well as driving unlicensed and unregistered on multiple occasions has sparked outrage from police.
The man, 24, was charged with drink-driving, driving without a licence and driving an unregistered car on April 2 and again on May 7.
Both times police say he had a blood alcohol reading of 0.22 per cent. The legal limit is .05 per cent.
Then yesterday, while banned from driving, police allegedly found the 24-year-old behind the wheel again, driving an unregistered and defective car.
Following the weekend’s arrest, the region’s top traffic cop aimed a verbal blast at the driver for repeatedly ignoring road safety messages.
Far Northern Region traffic co-ordinator Bob Waters slammed repeat drink-drivers’ disregard for other road users.
"It just goes to show these people don’t care about their fellow citizens," he told The Cairns Post.
"They think it won’t happen to them.
"And invariably it does.
"The only trouble is they don’t get killed or maimed for life, it’s the person they hit."
Insp Waters said a blood alcohol level of above 0.15 per cent was commonly regarded as driving while drunk.
"It really disappoints us after all the enforcement readings and all the public awareness that the hard-core recidivist offenders put everybody’s safety in jeopardy," he said.
"It shows immaturity, lack of respect and blatant disregard for the law."
And in a warning message to drivers considering taking to the road after drinking, he said: "We’ll do everything in our power to get these people off the roads. They are potential killers."
The 24-year-old will face multiple charges in Cairns Magistrates’ Court today.
