Could this be Dunedin's dumbest driver?
At 11am yesterday a motorist stopped in the middle of the Castle St traffic lanes opposite the Dunedin Railway Station, after seeing a police checkpoint ahead.
''He took an opportunity to stop short of the checkpoint to change drivers but failed to see two police officers standing on the street watching him,'' Dunedin Clutha Waitaki area prevention manager Inspector Mel Aitken said.
Unbeknown to the driver the officers watched him climb into the back seat by two children, while a female passenger slid behind the wheel as the stopped vehicle caused a minor traffic jam.
The 19-year-old driver later admitted to being disqualified.
As part of the checkpoint, police also witnessed an unsafe lane change by a motorist turning right from Castle St into Stuart St.
The driver cut in front of a vehicle on his right-hand side causing this vehicle to brake heavily to avoid a collision, and forcing the following vehicle to also brake heavily, Insp Aitken said.
The driver was ''completely unaware of the chaos he had caused'', she said.
''Unfortunately this is a common driver behaviour on Dunedin streets.''
In just an hour at the intersection, police issued 23 infringement notices including running red lights, not wearing seat belts, and failing to stop at a stop sign.
Earlier this month, Insp Aitken warned police would be cracking down on dodgy driving in an effort to curb increasing central city crash rates.
