A DRUNK, unsupervised L-plate driver who allegedly hit speeds of 159 km/h on Tuesday night knew he was doing the wrong thing when he left his driveway.
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About 6.15pm, Braybrook man Ian Campbell, 26, was tearing down the Hume Freeway near Chiltern on his way to Wodonga in a black Holden Commodore.
Police allege he had four children in the car aged between five and 12 — with two sharing a seatbelt.
Campbell then later blew a reading of 0.074 at Wodonga police station.
Campbell said he had only had the car for 11 hours and was “pretty excited about having it”.
“You know you’re doing the wrong thing when you’re leaving the driveway,” he told the Seven Network.
“Millions of people do it every day.
“I’m just the idiot who went that few steps further, you know, and got caught.”
Campbell was with his partner Sherree Nickels, who had an expired learner’s permit.
“(I was) just being an idiot really,” he said.
“I knew I was drunk but didn’t think I was that drunk.
“I’ve been regretting it since — if I lost my kids, life wouldn’t be worth living.”
The car was intercepted by police at Barnawartha North, two kilometres south of the Murray Valley Highway.
Wodonga highway patrol Sgt Cameron Roberts said it was a huge concern.
“Every now and again you get some people who display some spectacular stupidity and leave you a little bit stuck for words,” he said.
His car has been impounded for 30 days.
The impounding cost was $1380, which was more than the $600 Campbell had paid for the car the day before.
Sgt Roberts said the dangers of his erratic driving were obvious.
“He had a lack of experience and wasn’t familiar with the car considering he only just bought it,” he said.
“He hasn’t held a licence and with that alcohol reading at that speed we could be having a very different conversation.”
Campbell will be charged on summons with drive in a manner dangerous, exceeding the speed limit, overloaded vehicle, unaccompanied learner driver and numerous other offences.
Sgt Roberts said the outcome could have been a lot worse as a truck ran off the freeway on the same stretch of road only hours later.
About 10.30pm the truck hit a tyre and wheel in the northbound lane.
It stopped on the median strip.
“If the L-plater encountered the tyre instead it would have been a disaster,” Sgt Roberts said.