Drunk man found asleep in middle of road

Hawke’s Bay Police are warning of the dangers of over-indulging in alcohol after they came across a drunk man who had fallen asleep on the road in central Napier at the weekend.

Police found the man lying in the middle of the road near the intersection of Vautier and Dalton Sts at 4.45am on Saturday. He was not injured and had not been run over, but was extremely drunk. When police woke him up, he did not realise he had fallen asleep on the road.

Sergeant Andrew Graham said the man, in his mid-20s, told police he had spent all night drinking in town. He lived just a short distance to where he was found.

Police returned him home with a stern warning about the effects of excessive drinking and the potential harm he placed himself in.

Mr Graham said the man had put himself in extreme danger.

“This is a classic example of what can happen when you drink too much and lose control of your faculties. This man could easily have been run over and luckily there was not a lot of traffic in the area at the time.

“He was so drunk he had no idea what he was doing. He was very lucky that one of our patrol cars just happened to come across him,” Mr Graham said.

Police statistics also showed that drunk people were often victims of crimes such as robberies and assaults. Many drunk people could not defend themselves or recognise a potentially dangerous situation.

“We say this time and time again and we will keep on saying it. If you drink to excess you will end up putting yourself (or others) in danger. It’s all about personal responsibility and keeping yourself safe.”

Hawke’s Bay Police’s Alcohol Harm Prevention Group is tasked with reducing the amount of harm associated with alcohol, especially in central city areas at night. That included visits to bars and licensed premises and talking to patrons about the dangers of over-indulging.

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