Waikato Police believe a man caught driving at over 100 miles per hour on a rural provincial highway yesterday was defying not only speed limits but probably the laws of gravity as well.
District Road Policing Manager, Inspector Leo Tooman, said at first the officer driving the patrol car at 96km/h had difficulty believing the speed a radar was recording an approaching vehicle was travelling at.
"Two staff were travelling north towards Hamilton from Ohaupo on SH3 about 6.14am.
"The initial radar reading of the oncoming Mazda Familia was 167km/h but it didn't stop there, the device locked on the southbound car at a speed of 169km/h, a speed more suited to the nearby Hamilton airport runway and not a dark rural highway."
When stopped the 19-year-old man told the officers he was in a hurry because he was late for work.
"At that speed, he's doing about 150yds per second passing countless farm driveways and paddocks, if someone was to come out of a driveway there wouldn't be a chance to say good night nurse, it would be all over.
"Frankly I'm surprised a 1994 model Familia is capable of that speed and why someone would believe that on a restricted licence he would have sufficient driving experience to control a vehicle at that speed on a race track let alone a public road."
The driver had his licence suspended for 28 days and is due to appear in the Hamilton District Court on 12 August on a charge of operating a vehicle at a dangerous speed.
End
