Chinese drunk driver eats grass to ‘sober up’ for breath test

HONG KONG — A drunken motorist in eastern China started eating grass at the side of the road in a bizarre attempt to try to quickly sober up and pass a police breath test, according to a local media report.

The man was questioned by traffic police in Yiwu in Zhejiang province on Monday night (April 17) when they saw a Mercedes pull up 80m from their roadblock, the television station CZTV reported.

The driver ran from his car, but was caught by police who noticed he smelled strongly of alcohol and asked him to take a breath test.

The man repeatedly denied that he had been drinking or even driving the car.

Realising he had no way to escape from police, the man made a last ditch attempt to sober up by pulling grass from the side of the road and attempting to eat it, the report said.

Video of the incident shows the man sitting dejectedly on the side of the road putting handfuls of grass into his mouth, while a person off camera asks, “Did you eat grass?”

“The driver probably wanted to change his blood alcohol level by eating grass,” police told the media after the incident.

“We kept telling him, don’t eat grass. He didn’t listen, he didn’t stop pulling or eating the grass. It’s likely some was swallowed and some he spat out.”

The man was forcibly taken to hospital for a blood test, which he failed, according to the report.

The driver’s antics went viral on the internet, with social media users mocking his behaviour.

“This guy’s zodiac sign is probably a cow,” one person wrote.

Another joked: “This driver is doomed. Drunk driving will just land you a fine, but eating precious protected grass could get you over 10 years in jail.”

The motorist has yet to find out what punishment he faces, according to the report. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST