Car crime OK in Australia

P-PLATER [provisionally licensed driver] Luke Dodd has one of the worst driving records in Victoria's history. But that did not stop the 24-year-old, who has 61 convictions for driving while disqualified and 71 for stealing cars, getting behind the wheel after drinking and smashing head-on into a car driven by a mother with four children. A court heard Dodd had a blood-alcohol reading of .066 when he lost control of his Ford ute and crashed into an oncoming Mazda MPV, which was a write-off. The mother and her children, who were on their way to Salvation Army band practice, escaped unhurt.

Despite his shocking history - committed before he had a licence - Dodd was fined just $500 yesterday and his licence was cancelled for a minimum of six months. Dodd, of Frankston, swore he was a changed man from his troublesome days when he was involved in a car stealing racket. He told the Herald Sun he wanted to say sorry to the mother and children for drink-driving and writing off their car. "I want to apologise. It was a stupid thing to do. I could have killed them," Dodd said outside Dandenong Magistrates' Court. "I am responsible for my actions and I have changed. Everyone deserves a second chance."

Dodd said he saw the light after he bore the brunt of the blame for the car theft racket and spent three months at the Melbourne Assessment Prison. "I wasn't even old enough to drive when I committed these offences," he said. "It was a stupid thing to do."

Dodd yesterday admitted there was no excuse for driving irresponsibly on August 18 last year and he was willing to cop his punishment on the chin. He pleaded guilty to three charges, including careless driving, exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol (zero) and crossing double yellow lines. Prosecutor Sen-Constable Rick Ellin told the court Dodd had drunk four stubbies of beer before he lost control of his car, crossed double lines and slammed into the oncoming car on Cranbourne-Frankston Rd in Cranbourne.

Dodd's lawyer, Greg Martin, said the road was wet and Dodd's foot slipped off the clutch. Magistrate Raffaele Barberio said Dodd was fortunate nobody was injured or killed because he would have been facing the County Court. "Accidents sometimes happen, but it's the nut behind the wheel not the motor car that cause them," Mr Barberio said. "Obviously there has been a fair bit of history but hopefully that's water under the bridge now.
"At the end of the day you have to be mindful of control of a motor car."

Report here



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