Speeding motorists on the Christchurch Northern Motorway have shocked Canterbury Highway Patrol staff.
152 drivers were caught for exceeding the 100km/h speed limit over a seven day period. Sergeant John Hamilton of the Highway Patrol said that staff targeted that location last week in response to complaints about excessive speed.
"Speed is a major factor in crashes and it was very disturbing to see that speeds of over 120 and 130km/h were not uncommon," says Sergeant Hamilton says.
Two teenage drivers will face charges of driving at a dangerous speed after having been caught in separate incidents at over 150km/h. One driver, aged 17 years old, had friends in the car with him.
New Zealand Transport Agency figures show that 59 young people aged under 20 have died on New Zealand roads this year.
Sergeant Hamilton says that at speeds in excess of 150km/h the question was not how serious the injuries would be if a crash occurred but how many would die as a result.