Aussie speedster clocks 168kmh
An Australian tourist leaves the country today with an expensive dent in his wallet after he was clocked at 168kmh in his rental vehicle, three passengers on board, last week.
The 34-year-old man was convicted of dangerous driving in the Queenstown District Court, fined $500 and disqualified from driving for six months.
Otago Lakes Road Policing Sergeant Bruce Martin says that speed was "just ridiculous" at any time, let alone in winter conditions when there’s grit on the road.
The group had been heading from Wānaka to Mount Cook on the Luggate - Tarras Road, in a 100khm zone. The road was wet, not long after rain and the treacherous Lindis Pass was ahead.
"As an overseas visitor he wasn’t even used to our driving conditions, or our country," Martin says. "It was just fortunate that our officer was in the right place at the right time as this guy was putting himself, his passengers and others at real risk."
Martin says the man's overseas licence was automatically suspended for 28 days, at the scene, and the rental vehicle impounded. He will now have to pay for the rental company to get the impounded car back, and will never be able to drive in NZ on his overseas licence again, needing an NZ one.
Martin says the officer kindly gave the man a ride back to Wānaka to save money, escorting the impounded car driven by one of the passengers, before the group returned to Queenstown.
The worst speeding offence in recent years was a driver clocked at around 210kms.
"Our roads are very unforgiving in mid-winter," Martin warns.
His excuse? "I wasn’t going that fast, was I?"
Chinese driver's $12k reparation
Meanwhile, a 28-year-old overseas driver from China was convicted of careless driving after pulling out of McDonnell Road, just outside Arrowtown in front of another vehicle causing a traffic crash at 3.20pm on Friday, 8 August.
Sergeant Tracy Haggart says the Chinese driver turned left onto the Arrowtown – Lakes Hayes Road and was ordered to pay $12,000 in reparation after appearing in the Queenstown District Court on Monday, 11 August.
