A Gore police officer was in disbelief when an 18-year-old driver was clocked travelling at “more than double” the speed limit on a busy state highway in Southland this morning.
Police received reports of a red Audi overtaking multiple vehicles and “weaving in the lane” as it travelled at least 50km/h over the speed limit towards Gore on State Highway 1 at around 11.10am on Saturday.
Constable Mel Isaacs was dispatched and said she “didn’t quite believe” the speed that appeared on the radar — “more than double” the open road limit.
“I thought ‘is that right?'”
The open road speed limit is 100km/h an hour.
Isaacs said she had pulled the same driver over for going 30km/h above the 100km/h limit just last week.
“When he pulled over for me this time, he was more concerned with the speed I had to do to catch up to him than anything he had done wrong.
“I’ve never seen a car doing the speeds he was, and if it went wrong, it would have been catastrophic.
“Unfortunately, there are some drivers who shrug at the road safety message, and that puts everyone around them at risk.”
Isaacs said police were “unapologetic” about targeting speeding drivers.
“High-velocity crashes are horrific events to attend and we will do everything we can to prevent them.
“The motorist who called 111 today potentially saved lives by picking up the phone and giving us the chance to act.”
She also said motorists should call 111 if they witness dangerous driving on the road.
“Don’t assume someone else will make that call.”
The 18-year-old faces two charges of dangerous driving relating to the speed and manner of driving and will be summonsed to appear in court.
His licence has been suspended for 28 days and the car has been towed away.
