Stuff: Police breath test 'driver' - who was the passenger in a left-hand drive carPolice have admitted an officer made a mistake after a TikTok clip went viral showing them breath-testing a passenger in a left-hand drive car, thinking it was the driver.
The vehicle owner, TJ of Dunedin, said the passenger in the 1964 Chevrolet Impala (which is for sale) was on his way to the speedway at Cromwell on Saturday night when they were stopped at a check point.
The TikTok shows the car driving up to a checkpoint, where the female officer asks the person in the passenger seat how they are, and then to count to five into the breathalyser.
The passenger counts to five and the officer asks ‘’you guys had a good day?’’ before showing that the passenger has passed the test.
She says ‘’sweet, see ya’’ before the camera pans around to show TJ driving away on the left hand side of the car, as they all burst into laughter.
TJ said he was the designated sober driver and would have passed the test with flying colours.
“It happened three times at the weekend. The first time another cop told the officer it was a left-hand drive, and the second time they noticed themselves,’’ he said.
“The third one didn’t notice at all.’’
A police spokesperson said: “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,’’ the spokesperson said.
“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.’’
The group in the car had been at the Alexandra Blossom Festival, which always had a heavy police presence as people travelled to Central Otago.
Video at link.