Clutha's drink-drivers are trying to work out ways of avoiding being caught rather than not getting behind the wheel, frustrated police claimed yesterday.
At least seven drink-drivers have been caught in the past two weekends, and another who was caught last weekend was let off with a warning after blowing the legal limit of 400mcg.
Sergeant Martin Bull lashed out at what he called the "cavalier attitude" of many and, at the same time, acknowledged police were not catching everyone who decided to drink and then drive.
One convicted drink-driver was caught after trying to evade detection by driving home with his headlights off, while others are driving down less popular roads in a bid to get home without being stopped by police patrols.
Sgt Bull said that was "just the wrong sort of attitude", and it was annoying because the wider community was being put at greater risk by those people.
Despite widespread police patrols, it was obvious staff were not catching everyone who was drink-driving and he urged motorists to consider the potential consequences before they got behind the wheel after drinking.
"I guess I'm calling for a bit of personal responsibility here."
The first of the two drink-drivers apprehended last weekend was a 29-year-old Balclutha man who was caught drink-driving two months earlier.
He was processed for driving with an excess breath-alcohol level of 856mcg - more than twice the legal limit - at 2am on Saturday in Balclutha.
The other was a 20-year-old Clinton man who allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel of his car and crashed into the overbridge at the northern end of Milton about 4.40am on Sunday. He was processed for driving with a breath-alcohol level of 743mcg.
Both will appear in the Balclutha District Court on June 17.
