While naming and shaming would help to deter perhaps 95% of the population, there is a dangerous 5% that would see it as a badge of honour to have their name called out. This minority are the ones that need to be dealt with swiftly and harshly to get htem out to the system.

I was dic-ed when I was 18. Not going to let it happen again. The hardest part was telling my boss that I was not allowed to drive for three months. And today with a professional job that would be even harder.

Wait, so mass murders get granted name suppression, but drink drivers don't???

Of course they should - 10 years ago when I lived in Chch, they regularly published in The Press the names, ages and occupations of everyone who was done for drink driving. Didn't stop some people but sure as hell shamed others - lawyers were not immune either!

If you want to find out who the drink drivers are in your area go and sit in the court. If Newspapers want the information they should hire a reporter to do it. It is not the function of the Police to "punish" people convicted of a crime. This includes "name and shame".

If the courts want to add "name and shame" to the other sentences they can pass then we better make a law change.

Most of NZ's problem drink drivers have bigger issues to deal with before "shame" can have an effect.

i stupidly drunk and drove when i was 17 and have regretted it ever since. being embarresed in court was enough for me to know how much of an idiot i was and although i know that i could'v been worse off i think drunk drivers need to be shamed because i know from experience that sometimes thats the only way for people to wake up!!

Why "crush" a $30,000 car when it can be sold, reused and the money given to a charity? its a waste!

I drink and drive every NIGHT! are you going to crush my X Box?

Not quite the best idea!! if they are going to do this for Drunk Drivers then i think it should be done for everyone who commits a criminal offence!!

I think what people fail to realise here is that taking a specified drug (alcohol) then driving, is totally legal in NZ, no problems, no stigma, in fact drinking alcohol is recognised as an 'essential' part of our culture (and in most of the world), rightly or wrongly, providing that when you drive, you are 79 mg per 100 ml or less. Test at 80 mg per 100 ml or above (ie EBA) and you should be portrayed as a demon, banned from driving, have slurs cast in public upon you and your family. What's more, the funny thing is that every person is affected to exactly the same extent by this drug, irrespective of weight, size, fat content, metabolism, responsibility, so the guy who blows 80 who is twice the weight of the woman who blows 79 is shamed in public, while she can carry on blowing 79. By all means though, make the sentences tougher, especially for people with recognised alcohol problems. Don't allow this restorative justice where, in a recent example, a teenager drove recklessly when over the speed and alcohol limit, with the car full of passengers, crashed and overturned it after failing to take a corner, 'apologised' to the owner of the fence and offered to help rebuild it, and so received a 6 month disqualification and $400. Also another case where a guy was so drunk he drove his toyota 4wd at speed on the footpath for several hundred metres (narrowly missing someone stepping out of the passenger door of their car by inches) before firstly colliding with a tree, then 10 minutes later drove into a petrol station building. He wasn't charged with reckless driving because it carries the same term as the EBA (excess breath alcohol)charge which the person was charged with, the police saying that the judge would not add an additional 6 months on for the reckless driving to the 6 month disqualification for the EBA ....net result was only 6 months loss of license and $600 fine. Compare this to someone I knew who rarely drinks, and then only in moderation, went to a concert with his wife. After 4 glasses of wine over 4 hours, was driving home quietly at 30km/hr in a queue of concertgoers leaving the concert, was checkpointed, blew 91 and lost licence for 6 months and fined $600 Go figure!

I say name then, after all they are stupid enough to go out n drink n drive, let the world no who they are...

For repeat offenders maybe although I argue what good this is going to do. I am sure the offenders family and friends would already know and do nothing. I am also sure that there are those caught drinking on a stupid one off mistake and I would not agree that the same rule should apply.