A man who thought he would be safe driving after three drinks has been banned from the roads for a year.

Police started chasing after Valter Medeiros when their laser speed checks showed he passed them at 65 mph on Middle Road, Devonshire, on Friday, April 3, at 10.30 p.m., Magistrates' Court heard yesterday.

They caught up with his black pick-up truck at a junction, and when they spoke to him noticed his eyes were glazed. A breath test showed he had 135 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of his blood, against a legal limit of 80.

Medeiros, 34, of Harrington Sound Road, Smith's, who works in the landscaping business, told Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner he had only had three beers and never thought he would be over the limit.

He was fined $1,000, disqualified from driving all vehicles for 12 months and awarded ten demerit points against his licence. He was fined a further $260 and given six demerit points for speeding.