A 43-year-old man will face court for high-range drink-driving after a member of the public assisted police in his apprehension last night, 1 September. 

The man was found by a member of the public slumped over his wheel at a set of traffic lights in Canberra’s city centre about 7.30pm on Thursday, ACT police say.

After being unresponsive during several sets of light changes, he then drove through the city centre, several times on the wrong side of the road.

The member of the public who found the driver alerted police then followed him to tell officers the driver’s location.

Police say they eventually pulled the driver over and breath-tested him. He allegedly returned a reading of 0.331, nearly seven times the legal limit.

The man was charged with high-range drink driving, as well as driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle.

He will appear in court later this month.

Officer in charge of ACT road policing Travis Mills said he was shocked by the incident.

“This is not a case where someone has made a small miscalculation and chosen to drive, this is a deliberate – even foolhardy – decision that has put many lives at risk,” Acting Inspector Mills said.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the member of the public who reported this matter. This person may well have saved lives.”

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