http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10414817So, you jump behind the wheel while you've had a bit of grog, and knowing that not only are you drunk, you're also not supposed to be driving at night or with people in your car (NZ P-plate rules), you out of bad luck manage to catch the attention of a copper. Instinctually, you'd accelerate and try to escape (obviously with grog clouding your thought processes, you think you can do it successfully). You crash into a lamp post, car catches on fire, but luckily no one is dead (what is it with people and crashing into lamp posts/trees anyway, do they think
hmm... nothing on either side, I'm gonna keep driving normally...still no trees... OMG, there's a tree ahead! Let's aim for it!)
After such an incident, you'd think you'd be remorseful and not be stupid enough to say you'd do it again. But that's exactly what this dickhead did:
"I would do it again but with no-one in the car besides me. I would
drink and drive again with just me in the car," Rae told National Radio. (from the article).
WTF? I have mates that, despite my and other sensible people's pleas, still hoon around like idiots and occasionally drink and drive (you know who you are). But I'm sure they would not be retarded enough to say the above, not only to the cops, but also on bloody
National Radio! I wonder what the coppers are gonna think -
hmm, this guy is at least honest, let's give him a second chance.
Unfortunately for him, his mum wasn't that quick off the bat either, saying:
"Every time I told him not to drink too much but he don't listen. He ignore it," she said.
"I don't blame him because he was working hard. He needs something to relax." (from the article)
Maybe NZ doesn't have a zero-BAC limit for P-platers, hell for his age isn't he an L-plater? Maybe the kiwis are more lax. Anyway, you'd think the mum would support her son's public image and also the copper's image of him, but nope, she says its not his fault because he works his arse off and needs something to relax with. Fine, maybe he does work his arse off, and his job is very stressful, but that gives no-one any reason to be able to flout the laws. I'm sure lots of kiwis work very hard, and I'm sure they don't all drink and drive (or maybe all the smart kiwis moved here...sorry, couldn't resist 
)
At least someone finally knocked some sense into him, and he capitulated the day after, saying:
"I learnt my lesson and I won't do it again." (from http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3896678a11,00.html)
People will of course now start to doubt his sincerety in that comment, but its a step in the right direction. The parents however, still maintain that he should not be punished as it was his first offence. Geez, isn't almost killing your sister, girlfriend and another person serious enough? At least say, "He has learnt his lesson from the resulting trauma that he was directly responsible for; that is enough of a punishment." if you don't intend to do anything.
I hope the kiwi authorities do something about this kid, even if its just opening his eyes to the trauma at a hospital/ambo. I know its probably not going to change his mind completely - I think some people just have the hooning switch flipped, and others (e.g. me) don't, but once its flipped, its very hard to switch off - but at least the next time he contemplates doing so, the images will flash through his head and hopefully change his mind.
Ah well, not only has he screwed his own public image in New Zealand, someone dugg this article (which is how I found out), so now he's known worldwide. With photos and the power of Google, something tells me his past is gonna catch up to him in the future.
P.S. yes, I know how it feels when everyone else is drinking and you're driving, made especially worse seeing as I live further away than anyone else and most people don't like driving me that far (no the NightRider bus doesn't stop near my house, unless a 20 minute walk in the dark is 'near').