Teen driver ‘tested out’ a Volkswagen Golf - at 188km/h

Alex Fowler was seen speeding by police when approaching the Tūtaekurī River bridge on the Hawke's Bay Expressway.

A teenage driver who was “testing out” a Volkswagen Golf was clocked by police driving at 188km/h.

At that speed, Alex Matthew Fowler, 19, would have covered the length of a rugby pitch in two seconds.

He appeared in the Napier District Court on Thursday on a speeding charge. It was his first court appearance.

Judge Geoff Rea said the charge had been downgraded from dangerous driving after police prosecutors weighed up against previous cases the likelihood of getting a conviction on the more serious charge.

He fined Fowler $500 with $130 court costs and disqualified him from driving for six months.

The maximum fine for the charge is $1000.

A police summary of facts said Fowler was driving on a state highway near Taradale, Napier at 8.05pm on January 23, 2023.

The highway, or the Hawke’s Bay Expressway, is a main arterial route between Napier and Hastings. Traffic that evening was moderate.

As Fowler left a roundabout, he rapidly accelerated in the silver 2005 VW Golf hatchback, reaching a speed of 188km/h in a 100km/h zone.

“As the defendant approached the Tūtaekurī River bridge, his speed was observed by a police officer performing road policing duties,” the statement said.

Fowler slowed “drastically” as he approached the patrol unit and was stopped by the officer.

“In explanation, the defendant stated he was just testing it out,” the statement said.

Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay.