By 1news.co.nz
A police officer has been caught on camera breathalysing the passenger of a left-hand drive car before waving them through a checkpoint this weekend.
TJ Woodrow and his friends were heading through Cromwell after attending the Alexandra Blossom Festival when they were stopped just out of town “just before the big fruit”.
Woodrow was driving his 1964 Impala from the left-hand side of the American-made car.
The car was stopped three times during the weekend, and each time officers initially went to test the passenger on the right side of the car, he said.
“The passenger was tested three times and twice the cop caught on and moved the breathalyser over to me.”
On the third test, however, the officer tested the passenger and waved the car through, much to the amusement of Woodrow and his friends.
“We were on a high really. We thought it was hilarious. It was the highlight to the weekend.”
Woodrow said the enforcement about the festival had grown over the years but he was disappointed the police were not taking a moment to cast an eye over the cars they were checking.
“When there was two to three cops that didn’t notice, I thought it was pretty bad that they get so much into a sort of trance, just doing the same thing over and over again.
“They aren’t doing the checks that they should be doing,”
Woodrow is the founder of South Island car club Southside JDM.
He said he was an advocate for sober driving and was always happy to be tested, if the police noticed who was actually driving.
“It’s very important to me. I know lots of people who have had accidents drinking. The last thing I want to do is have a friend get hurt or be the reason someone gets hurt.
“I’m not really a drinker so I’m happy to be the sober driver.”
Woodrow said he generally had no trouble driving his left-hand drive car on New Zealand roads although he had been turned away from a McDonald’s drive-thru when he was forced to reverse the car down the lane in order to reach the service window.
“I couldn’t reach the other side so it had to be done.”
Police acknowledged a mistake had been made in a statement to RNZ.
“While we can’t be sure exactly where this incident took place, police acknowledge that it appears a mistake has been made by one of our officers dealing with a vehicle at a checkpoint.
“In this instance it would be helpful if the driver, on becoming aware that a mistake had been made, let the officer know so that they could breath-test the driver.
“Checkpoints are in place to help ensure the safety of all road users, and a big part of the responsibility for road safety lies with the road-users themselves.”
