Drunk mum let tot drive: cops

[Guest Urbanhog]

Drunk mum let tot drive: cops

12:30 AEST Mon 6 Jan 2003

 

A family of three was injured in a car crash after a five-year-old boy sitting on his mother's lap allegedly steered the vehicle because she was too drunk to drive.

 

The boy's nine-year-old brother allegedly told staff at Nambour Hospital, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, that his mother had been drinking and wanted her youngest son to steer the car while she operated the pedals, police said.

 

"That's apparently what the child told the staff at the hospital," Senior Constable Dave Lonergan told AAP.

 

"The five-year-old was on her lap steering the car."

 

The car left the Bli Bli Road on the Sunshine Coast around 1.30am (AEST) yesterday, hit a tree, hurtled down an embankment and came to rest in a paddock.

 

Snr Const Lonergan said the 37-year-old mother and the two children were not wearing seatbelts and were thrown from the car.

 

Neighbours heard the vehicle crash into the paddock and called police.

 

The family was taken to Nambour hospital where the woman remained today in a stable condition with neck and back injuries and facial lacerations.

 

Blood samples have been taken to determine her blood alcohol level.

 

But Snr Const Lonergan said the results were not expected for a month.

 

The five-year-old suffered a broken hand in the accident. His older brother sustained minor injuries.

 

Both have since been allowed to go home but are yet to be interviewed by Juvenile Aid Bureau officers, Snr Const Lonergan said.

 

Police expect to interview the boys' mother over the next few days but may have to seek the help of an interpreter as the woman reportedly speaks only limited English.

 

©AAP 2003

[Tom]

A pretty stupid act on her part and what is she doing with a licence if she can't understand English, next we will have multi-lingual road signs. Maybe next time she gets drunk she’ll pass a sign that says “bridge out”, hope she doesn’t have the kids with her.

 

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[pipeman]

I'm not usually in favour of the government taking control over people's lives but this is inexcusable in so many ways.

 

her children should be taken away and she should do jail time.

[Brainstorm]

drinking and driving is bad, to drink and drive with children in the car is lunacy, to let a child steer a car whether the adult is drunk or not is plain irresponsibile!!!

[Ferre]

let us hope this woman learnes from this and becomes a good mother.

 

..boy, this is a sad story.

[BlackBeauty]

very sad and disappointing indeed to hear a mother behaving like this.

 

didn't something similar happen in the US recently? but it was a babysitter or carer and she was so drunk while driving the kids had to call for help from the side of the road....

 

shocking.

[420stoner]

i cant believe ppl actually do that..the poor kids!

i think seriously that she shouldnt have had children if she was gonna act that way around them and involve them in sumthing that serious..

BAD MOTHER!!!! :angry:

[notgail]

My Dad did the same thing with me on his lap (before the days of seatbelts) - he was pissed, I was about same age between 4 and 6. (I'm now 41) It was only down our road and nothing much to hit.

 

Pretty irresponsible but I couldn't have asked for a better or more loving Dad and consider myself very lucky to have had him as a father.

 

Hopefully this lady has learnt a pretty public lesson.

 

Having worked for RTA - you know when non speaking people go for they Australian licence they are allowed to bring an "interpreter" into a private room to do their thery exam. and they usually pass.

 

Aussies are Toooooo scared to being branded racists to say anything.

[BlackBeauty]

Having worked for RTA - you know when non speaking people go for they Australian licence they are allowed to bring an "interpreter" into a private room to do their thery exam.    and they usually pass.

 

Aussies are Toooooo scared to being branded racists to say anything.

That's VERY dodgy! Too easy to cheat with the right interpreter, especially if it's just an English-speaking family member or friend....