Booze cruise teen 'six times over limit'

A 16-year-old schoolboy driving 11 other young people on a "booze cruise" was found to be six times over the alcohol limit when stopped by police in Oamaru at the weekend.

It came just 24 hours after a vanload of teenagers driven by a 16-year-old girl who had been drinking crashed on the outskirts of Napier killing two of them and injuring several others.

Acting Sergeant Ross Lory, of Oamaru police, said officers were appalled by what they found when they stopped the van in the town on Saturday night.

"It's a disaster waiting to happen - not only for those in the van but other road users," Mr Lory told the Otago Daily Times.

The Oamaru teenager recorded a breath-alcohol level of 855mcg - almost six times the 150mcg limit for a person under the age of 20, and more than double the 400mcg adult legal limit.

Others in the vehicle had also been drinking, he said.

The driver, who has been referred to youth aid, has been charged with drink-driving and his licence has been suspended for 28 days.

Today, Waitaki District Council will consider submissions on a review of its liquor ban bylaw.

The Oamaru incident had much in common with the fatal Napier crash at 2am on Saturday.

There, a van carrying seven people aged between 16 and 19 smashed into an oncoming car after crossing the centreline on State Highway 50.

Two young men died and another remains in a critical condition in Wellington Hospital.

Police said the 16-year-old driver, Tamoko Christy, had been drinking before the crash but no charges have yet been laid.

The group had been at a party and police described the crash as "a lethal combination" of youth, alcohol and driving.

- NZPA