Dunedin man drives 150km/h past police car with toddler in the back seat

The man had been travelling down State Highway 1 near Henley when he clocked the top speed. Photo / Glenn Taylor

A man in Dunedin has lost his licence for the next month after driving past a police vehicle at 150km/h down a local highway.

The resident had a 2-year-old child in the back seat.

Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond said in a statement the man was caught speeding shortly before 11am yesterday.

The man had been travelling down State Highway 1 near Henley, 30 kilometres north of Dunedin, when he clocked the top speed.

He was driving in a 100km/h zone at the time, but at one stage ended up overtaking a vehicle - which turned out to be an unmarked police car - at 150km/h.

Bond confirmed the motorist was travelling with a 2-year-old in the back seat.

The Dunedin man lost his licence for the next month after driving past a police vehicle at 150km/h. Photo / Dunedin City Council

“The faster you go, the bigger the mess,” he said in the statement.

“You are putting yourself, your child and the other motorists in danger.”

The man, aged 37, had his licence stripped for 28 days and received an infringement notice.

Previous cases involving such high speeds include an 18-year-old woman who was clocked doing 150km/h down Ngaumatawa Rd in Masterton in 2012.

Earlier this month, another Dunedin resident who was “running late for work” was issued with a $170 fine after hitting 147km/h.