Driver charged after Te Aroha crash forced fence railing through car and near his head

A Nissan Skyline's rear tyres spun before the car crossed the top of a Te Aroha farm tunnel and crashed through a fence. Photo / Police, Facebook

A young Waikato driver who narrowly escaped being killed by a wooden fence railing smashing through his car has been charged with careless driving.

The young man bought the Nissan Skyline last Friday and within days had crashed into a farm fence near Te Aroha.

The back wheels spun out on a slightly wet road, the car crossed the top of a farm's cattle tunnel and crashed through a fence.

The car ended up with a fence railing smashed through the front and rear windscreens.

The railing brushed the face of the driver, who was alone in the car, and he suffered a sprained ankle in what Te Aroha Police Constable John Keoghan said could easily have been a fatal crash.

Keoghan posted a photo of the smashed up car on social media to encourage people to drive safely.

"We have far too many fatalities on our roads in New Zealand."

He said the driver had his licence for several years but the Skyline was a more powerful car than he was used to.

The young man was not the kind of driver whom the police would consider a "road safety target".

"He just had a moment, like we all have moments in our lives".

Keoghan urged people to drive to the conditions, use seatbelts and child restraints, and keep within the speed limit.