AUCKLAND, January 29 (RIA Novosti) - Police in New
Zealand have arrested a pregnant 14-year-old driver who was
allegedly six times over the alcohol limit, local media said on
Thursday.
The Northern Advocate newspaper said on its website that
the girl was stopped for "driving erratically" in Whangarei, in
the north of the country, on Tuesday. It later turned out that
the driver was four months' pregnant and provided police with a
false name which she had difficulty spelling.
In New Zealand, you must be at least 15 years old to get a
driving license and 18 years old to drink alcohol.
Local medics have also raised concerns over the possible
harm caused by drinking on the unborn baby, the newspaper said.
A local hospital obstetrician said that the "harm is the
same" regardless of her age.
"Nobody knows how much or how little alcohol is safe
during pregnancy so the general recommendation is to avoid it
altogether," Ian Page said.
The girl will be referred to the Youth Aid organization.
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