Drunk man left Dederang Hotel before spate of near misses in his car

Daniel John Cardwell, 50, was driving for more than an hour on August 19 last year as other drivers and police tried to stop him.

The Upper Gundowring man started drinking longnecks while driving from Wodonga to Dederang after work.

He downed more beer at the Dederang Hotel before leaving about 9.10pm, leading to a string of near head-on collisions and a police pursuit.

Cardwell drove his Toyota LandCruiser on the Kiewa Valley Highway at an almost complete stop and up to 113km/h.

A woman who had also been at the venue spotted his car at a standstill as she drove over the Dederang Gap, and activated her hazard lights to warn other motorists.

"She thought the accused was going to cause a serious accident," the Wodonga Magistrates Court heard.

Cardwell quickly drove down a driveway before getting back onto the highway, with the property owner and the previous woman driving with his car in a bid to prevent a crash.

His car was constantly on the wrong side of the road and police took up a position to intercept the four-wheel-drive.

They spotted Cardwell crossing double lines at 10.08pm and he passed the officers on the wrong side of the road.

Police activated their lights and pursued the car at low speed as Cardwell drove completely on the wrong side of the road and had a near miss with an oncoming car.

He hit a culvert at Kiewa, deflating a tyre, but continued to drive for a short distance before stopping.

Police approached and he could barely stand.

He returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.180.

"He understands how serious this was," lawyer Geoff Clancy told the court.

The crane driver had been going through family issues at the time following the death of his father, including a "huge falling out with his brothers".

Mr Clancy said his drinking had gotten "ahead of him" at the time, but he had since cut back.

The volunteer firefighter fought the Black Saturday fires and is thought to have ongoing trauma.

Magistrate Ian Watkins noted Cardwell had made an "enormous contribution to the community".

"Fortunately you've had a second chance - something traumatic didn't occur that day," he said.

"The reality is, there are many people in cemeteries who did not get that second chance, and met an untimely end.

"It was appalling driving and your decision to drive in the circumstances was not a good one.

"It's a very serious matter that could have ended in tragedy."

Mr Watkins noted Cardwell was involved in several community groups and was "one of the unsung heroes of the Black Saturday bushfires".

He suspected the trauma of the bushfires was still with Cardwell.

"There's no shame in getting help," the magistrate said.

Cardwell was fined $2000 and was banned from driving for two years.

He must also undertake a safe driver program before he can get his licence back.

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