Double demerits came to an end at midnight and as usual police caught a number of Hunter drivers doing the wrong thing.
One of note, was just before 7am on Sunday morning when Newcastle Highway Patrol officers clocked a blue Mitsubishi Lancer doing 136km/hr on Newcastle Link Road at Wallsend.
The vehicle was stopped and police discovered the 19-year-old driver was still on his ‘P’ plates, but didn’t have them displayed.
That was the least of officers’ concerns after they noticed a female lying down in the rear seat not restrained by a seatbelt.
The driver was subjected to a roadside breath test and a drug test that both returned positive readings.
He was arrested and taken back to Newcastle Police Station where he did another two tests returning a breath analysis reading of 0.044 and a positive result for methamphetamines.
The driver was issued with infringement notices, lost 18 points and will pay $2328 in fines.
The teenager’s licence was also suspended that he had only just gotten back after a recent speeding suspension.