Hastings' teenager hits 160km/h near school

A Hastings teenager has been charged with dangerous driving after clocking speeds over 160km/h near a school earlier this week.

The 17-year-old Havelock North youth passed Parkvale Primary School in Hastings at 50km/h but accelerated to 168km/h just 500m east of the school's boundary at the start of an 80km/h zone.

He is due to appear in Hastings District on March 13. The youth was driving his father's Holden Commodore, which has now been impounded by police, Senior Sergeant Ross Smith said.

Police nationwide are targeting speeding drivers around schools as the school year begins, and in many areas going just 1km/h over the limit near a school will result in a ticket and demerit points.

- NZPA