Holiday toll remains at three

The holiday road toll remained at three today and there were no reports of major traffic congestion.

Police named the three youths who died after a high speed police chase in Auckland on Saturday morning.

The driver was 16-year-old Lance David Duff of Laingholm and his passengers were 17-year-old Walter James Russell of Glen Eden and 19-year-old Cheyenne Freeman of Avondale.

Inspector John Mitchell said the car was stopped in central Auckland about 4am but it sped off and the teens were killed when their car smashed into trees beside the St Lukes off ramp.

Inspector Mitchell said the driver had already taken off from police earlier in the night when he had been told his car was to be impounded.

He had been stopped for speeding at 93km/h in a 50km/h zone. Mr Duff's partner is pregnant with his child.

The Police Complaints Authority had begun an inquiry into the incident.

The official road death toll period began at 4pm on Friday and ends at 6am on Wednesday January 3, 2007.

Police praised a member of the public who alerted them to a speeding motorist who was caught minutes later near Cambridge today, Radio New Zealand reported.

Congestion is expected on roads on Boxing Day as people head off to holiday spots around the country.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Marshall said prior to Christmas that police were hoping the road toll this year would be the lowest since the 1960s.

- NZPA