Driver four times limit lucky to be alive

“GOOD luck rather than good management” prevented another Cape road death when long-term disqualified driver Arthur Ronsley Luke rolled his car after a drunken row.

Luke, 46, has not legally been able to drive since 2016 and last November still had 23 months to wait before being eligible to hold a licence.

That did not stop him from driving away from a heated family argument then rolling his car at Kowanyama.

Luke pleaded guilty to driving while unlicensed and disqualified when he faced Cairns Magistrates Court this week.

When police breath-tested him an hour after the accident, he still had more than four times the legal alcohol limit in his blood.

Defending solicitor Kelly Goodwin said his client had “a concerning history”, which included a drink drive conviction in 2016 and driving disqualifications in 2016 and 2017.

Mr Goodwin told the court that on the night in question, Luke was on parole for assault occasioning bodily harm and chose to drive to leave a drunken confrontation with his son.

“He realised it was getting very heated,” Mr Goodwin said. “He took the initiative to remove himself so he did not get into a physical fight.”

Magistrate Alan Comans disqualified Luke from driving for three years and ordered he serve a four-month jail term — suspended for 18 months.