7 10 December 2007 was a Monday and on that day Mitchell had begun drinking at about 2.30 pm, some eight hours or more before the fatal collision. He finished work in the city at approximately 2.30 pm and went to the Fenian's Pub in Adelaide Terrace, where he drank two pints of beer, before driving his Ford Falcon utility to a friend's house in Como. There, he drank a further quantity of beer in stubbies, the exact amount is not known, and a shooter of tequila to celebrate his birthday. This continued until some time after 10 pm, by which time it is clear that Mitchell was severely intoxicated. He left his friend's home in Como at about 10.45 pm and drove the Ford Falcon utility west along Canning Highway towards Kwinana Freeway at Canning Bridge. There, he was seen to be driving erratically. A witness, travelling in a car behind him, noticed that he stopped suddenly in the left-hand lane of Canning Highway, causing the observer to brake heavily. That observer then overtook Mitchell's vehicle and continued west, stopping at the traffic lights at Henley Street. Mitchell followed the observer's vehicle and stopped behind him at that intersection. When the lights changed to green, Mitchell moved off slowly and the observer noticed that his vehicle moved gradually to the left, straddling the broken white line for a short time, before suddenly straightening up and turning back into the right-hand lane. These two vehicles continued towards the traffic lights at the Kwinana Freeway intersection on Canning Bridge, towards lights which were then showing red. Mitchell was seen to speed up on his approach to the red light and to maintain a constant speed, crossing the white stop line at the same time that the lights changed to green.