A 31-year-old man initially denied that he was the driver of a car which crashed off the East Tamar highway, the Launceston Magistrates court heard.
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Ian Lyndon Green of Kings Meadows pleaded guilty to a exceeding 0.05, driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor and a a count of being a provisional licence holder failing to display a P plate.
Police prosecutor Kelly Brown said that the crashed car was seen at 12.30am near Mt Direction on March 2, 2024.
When police arrived the driver appeared intoxicated and when he was breath tested a reading of 0.123 was returned.
She said Mr Green told police that a friend was driving but he did not know his name.
Ms Brown said police observed a large bruise across his chest from the right shoulder to the left arm which was caused by the seat belt when the vehicle crashed.
"Police believe he was the sole occupant of the vehicle," she said.
Defence lawyer Olivia Jenkins said Green had been consuming alcohol with family and friends.
"There was an argument and he decided to remove himself to de-escalate the situation," Ms Jenkins said.
The court heard that Green received a backdated seven month driving disqualification in August last year after a drink driving offence in March.
She said Green ran his own painting business and it had cost him $10,000 to date to maintain the business at its current level.
"He does not want his employees to suffer as a result of his actions," Ms Jenkins said.
In sentencing magistrate Simon Brown said as a P plate driver Green should have had no alcohol in his body at all.
"You initially denied you were driving but the seatbelt bruise bellied that and made your account untenable," Mr Brown said.
"This is your second offence of more than double the legal limit in less than a year.
"The need for personal deterrence is significant and for general deterrence so that the community understands that drink driving is entirely unacceptable."
The count of exceeding 0.05 was subsumed in the DUI count.
He disqualified Green from driving for eighteen months and imposed a $2000 fine.