The driver of a car involved in a triple fatality crash on SH2 at Maramarua on Tuesday night had been stopped by Police earlier in the day for speeding and carrying unauthorised passengers.
Three teenagers, driver Mary Jane Jo Vanna KINGI-TE PUREI and passengers Tiata Te Arohanui MAXWELL and Te Maungarongo Te Kuiri KINGI, all aged 18 and from Gisborne died at the scene of the crash following a collision with a utility about 8.10pm.
Western Waikato Area Commander, Inspector Paul Carpenter, said the trio's car had been stopped for traveling at 130km/h on SH2 at Matawai, west of Gisborne earlier in the day.
"A traffic infringement notice was recovered in the car that also shows the driver was in breach of her graduated drivers licence, carrying unauthorised passengers.
"Under current legislation Police can only issue an infringement notice, not seize the vehicle, tragically the trio's trip to South Auckland came to an abrupt end in the Waikato on Tuesday night."
SH2 was closed for about two hours today to allow crash investigators to carry out a scene examination.
Over the past five years eight people have died in five crashes on the Waikato stretch of SH2 around where Tuesday night's crash occurred.
Mr Carpenter said analysis of crash investigation reports showed only one of those crashes involved environmental conditions being partial factors in a crash.
Police are awaiting the results of toxicology reports to determine what, if any, part alcohol played in the crash and a vehicle inspector's report on the serviceability of the tires fitted to the car and if their condition could have played a factor in what occurred.
The deaths have been reported to the Coroner.
"At this point all Police can do is warn of the dangers the combination of long trips and driver inexperience pose, drivers licences are graduated to allow young drivers to learn and gain experience instead of hitting the nation's highways cold.
"Regretfully it appears these young people never had the opportunity to gradually gain that experience and three families are left to pick up the pieces from this tragic event."
End