Peterborough driver pulled over for having a faulty headlight was double drink drive limit
“We can’t be everywhere, but this case highlights we could be anywhere, and even something seemingly unrelated like a defective headlight can make a drink driver stand out.”
A man who was pulled over for having a headlight out was found to be more than double the legal drink drive limit.
Ionut Petre, 24, was driving a Volkswagen Sharan with a defective headlight in Serjeant Street, Peterborough, in the early hours of 29 November.
This caught the eye of officers in a patrol car, who followed before pulling him over in Harris Street.
He was breathalysed and gave a reading of 98 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath - more than double the legal limit of 35.
He was also found to be disqualified from driving and not insured.
Petre, of Harris Street, Peterborough, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (30 November) where he was sentenced to eight weeks in prison and disqualified from driving for three years.
PC Shaz Ali, who investigated, said: “We can’t be everywhere, but this case highlights we could be anywhere, and even something seemingly unrelated like a defective headlight can make a drink driver stand out.
“Drink driving is one of the fatal five causes of collisions on our roads and if Petre wasn’t stopped, the consequences of his actions could have been very serious.”
The force operates a dedicated, confidential hotline - 0800 032 0845 - which is available 24/7 to report anyone thought to be driving under the influence. Always call 999 in an emergency.