An 18-year-old student admitted careless driving when he appeared before Judge Michael Turner in the Queenstown District Court, even though he was a passenger at the time of the incident.
Prosecuting sergeant Ian Collin said Thomas Kevin Stanley Dawkins was the front seat passenger of a vehicle travelling on the Roxburgh-Fruitlands Rd on November 11.
The car was being driven by a sober learner driver, and two other passengers were in the rear of the vehicle.
All of the passengers had been drinking during a trip back from Invercargill.
Sgt Collin said after leaving Roxburgh, one passenger asked the driver to stop so they could use the toilet.
Soon after they started talking about "doing handbrakies".
Dawkins then pulled the hand brake on, while the driver was travelling at 80kmh.
The driver was pulling the car to the left of the road, intending to do a U-turn, and take the passengers back to the public toilets.
"[The car] spun to the right and the driver was unsuccessful in gaining control," Sgt Collin said.
"[It] hit a concrete power pole."
None of the passengers were injured and the car received only minor damage.
Dawkins admitted to police at the time he had pulled the handbrake on and said he felt "pressured" into doing so.
He had not realised the vehicle might spin."
While a disqualification for a careless driving charge was not always required, Sgt Collin said police felt "it's one of those where the maximum disqualification is appropriate".
Judge Turner said Dawkins was "extremely fortunate" there were no injuries or more significant damage to the vehicle.
"If someone had died, you would be looking at a sentence of imprisonment."
Dawkins was fined $150, court costs $132.89 and disqualified for six months.
