Teens caught doing more than 150km/h

Two teenagers face dangerous driving charges after being caught separately travelling at more than 150km/h in Christchurch.

One driver, aged 17, had friends in the car with him, police said.

The pair were nabbed as part of a police blitz on speeding on the city's northern motorway.

Over a seven-day period 152 drivers were caught for exceeding the 100km/h speed limit, said Sergeant John Hamilton.

"Speed is a major factor in crashes and it was very disturbing to see that speeds of over 120km/h and 130km/h were not uncommon."

Mr Hamilton said when drivers reached speeds of more than 150km/h it was not a matter of how serious the injuries would be if they crashed, but how many people would die as a result.

New Zealand Transport Agency figures show that 59 young people aged under 20 have died on New Zealand roads this year.

- NZPA