​Ryan Eden, 26, of Merrett Street, ​Peterborough, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to drink driving, careless driving, failing to ensure a passenger was wearing a seat belt and driving an unroadworthy car.

He was fined $1250 with $119.90 costs and his driver's licence was cancelled for 19 months.

Eden blew an alcohol reading of .198 and magistrate Michael Coghlan said the defendant was substantially influenced by alcohol.

He said the tree he crashed into was just about the only thing in sight after observing photos of the accident scene.

Police said that on January 15 this year Eden was driving a black Holden ute along the Framlingham Road near Terang when he went onto the grass verge.

He lost control of the ute and crashed head-on into a tree.

The force of the crash caused his father, who was a passenger, to bang his head on the windscreen, cracking the glass and causing a laceration to his head.

He was not wearing a seat belt.

Defence counsel Michele Downs said her client had worked in the WA mines for five years and was earning $150,000 a year but he would lose the job because his licence had been cancelled.

"As a consequence he has to come home without a job," she said.