140km/h then teens crash car

Five young teenagers who drove at more than 140km/h passed through a police checkpoint with their lights off and crashed moments later.

All the occupants of the car - aged 14 to 16 - were injured in the drama in Northland early yesterday.

The 15-year-old driver, who received moderate injuries, was breath-tested and a blood sample was taken to determine his alcohol level.

Police had twice pursued the Subaru Legacy but gave up both times when the car sped further away.

An alcohol breath-testing patrol at Awanui, 7km north of Kaitaia, was finishing testing a driver when the vehicle drove past at high speed without lights.

Officers gave chase but lost the car briefly before finding it crashed in a ditch beside State Highway 1 at Waimanoni, about 3km north of Awanui.

"It hadn't rolled. It went into a ditch and stopped suddenly," said Far North area police commander Inspector Mike Rusbatch.

Earlier, another patrol had chased the car along the Awanui Straight but lost sight of it.

Skid marks from the crashed Subaru led across the highway to the other side of the road.

The highway, which leads to Cape Reinga, was closed for several hours while serious crash unit investigators examined the scene.

None of the Subaru's occupants suffered life-threatening injuries but last night three boys were in Whangarei Hospital.

A spokeswoman said one was in a serious but stable condition.

A girl was in Kaitaia Hospital with moderate injuries.

A fifth passenger in the car, a boy, was treated at the scene.

It was not clear last night whether the driver had a restricted licence, which means the holder cannot drive after 10pm unless he or she is accompanied by a fully licensed driver.

Mr Rusbatch said that when the Subaru was first noticed its speed was estimated at "upwards of 140km/h". It was on the Awanui Straight, which runs for about 5km without a corner.

Mr Rusbatch said the police patrol was going in the opposite direction and had to turn around to follow the speeding car, whose headlights were then switched off.
Police expected it would be about a week before their investigations were complete and a decision made on whether charges would be laid against the driver.

The Police Complaints Authority has been notified, a requirement when anyone is injured during a police pursuit.

Northland MP John Carter said the incident raised the question of where people as young as those involved got their alcohol.

Accidents like this were partly the result of lowering the drinking age.