A 33-year-old Victoria man who police say crashed his car into a utility pole on Quadra Street at Rockland Avenue at about 2 a.m. Monday had to be helped from his car he was so drunk.

A breath sample later revealed the driver's blood-alcohol level was four times the legal limit.

"Police found an open beer in the front cup holder and the man admitted to drinking heavily," police spokesperson Mike Tucker said in a statement.

The man drove his Hyundai into the pole so hard that both front air bags deployed and the front of the car sustained significant damage. A female passenger was treated at the scene by paramedics and released.

The driver faces an impaired driving charge and was issued a $230 ticket for having open liquor in a motor vehicle. He is scheduled to appear in court May 28.

The arrest comes in the wake of a successful police roadblock early Saturday morning that took four allegedly impaired motorists off city streets at Cook Street and Hillside Avenue.

They included a 43-year-old Saanich man who blew twice the legal limit, and a 29-year-old Victoria man, who punched and kicked two cars before getting into his own vehicle, according to officers.

A 37-year-old Nanaimo man who refused to provide a breath sample was handed a 90-day driving prohibition, while a 25-year-old Saanich man was slapped with a 24-hour driving suspension for being high on marijuana.

emccracken@vicnews.com