Dorian Barnaby, 42, had four times the legal limit of alcohol in his system when he got into his car and drove to buy cigarettes in November last year.

Bendigo Magistrates Court heard the Bendigo man was driving downhill on Murphy Street about 3.30pm on November 12 when the cars in front of him slowed to a stop at a roundabout.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Karl Mannes said alcohol, combined with a fogged up windscreen from the rain, meant Barnaby was unable to brake in time and skidded for a short distance before crashing into the car in front of him.

Senior Constable Mannes said the vehicle Barnaby hit - which was a write-off -  was pushed forward into a third vehicle causing minor damage.

Barnaby pleaded guilty on Monday to drink-driving and careless driving after breath tests showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.2.

The court heard he had a criminal history including two prior convictions for drink-driving, but had not come before the courts since 1998.

Defence lawyer Kate Youngson told the court her client had been on the right side of the law for more than 15 years and had been making amends to the owners of the damaged cars.

She said Barnaby was paying $2000 to the owner of the severely damaged car and $1700 to the second vehicle owner.

Magistrate Jennifer Tregent told Barnaby he was setting a poor example for his two teenage children and fined him $2000.

She also disqualified him from driving for 20 months.

"It was a very stupid thing to do," Ms Tregent said.

"You couldn't possibly have had control of the vehicle with that much alcohol in your system.

"You were just an accident waiting to happen."