A "drunk" hairdresser who couldn't give a breath test banned from driving for six months - at least half the sentence she could have faced had she blown into a breathalyser.
Salon owner Lauren Nash struggled to get out of her Ford KA when police pulled it over near her home in South Seghill, Northumberland.
However, as she struggled to give a sample, the 31-year-old was charged with failing to provide a specimen rather than drink driving.
Motorists convicted of drink driving face a minimum one year ban.
South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court heard how the £18,000-a-year hairdresser was stopped on Main Street on October 10.
"The female was slurring her words and smelt strongly of alcohol," said prosecutor James Long.
"Clearly she was drunk. She was unsteady on her feet and was struggling getting out of the vehicle due to the level of intoxication."
Sobbing Nash was arrested and taken back to Middle Engine Lane where she failed to give a sample despite "blowing and sucking rapidly in alternate fashion" into the breathalyser.
The defendant, from Barass Mews, in Seghill, was said to have been an "emotional wreck" after being arrested for the first time.
"She didn't know what was going on, she was hysterical," said Paul Dunn, mitigating.
Tuesday's sentencing heard police had approached the car, which still had the engine running, after it stopped due to a fault when the smell of alcohol hit them.
However, Mr Dunn said his client's inability to give a sample of breath was not done on purpose but may instead have been the result of going into "panic mode" after being arrested.
"She does not appear to be the sort of person who refuses on a calculated basis," added the solcitor.
The defendant, who pleaded guilty, was fined £340.
