Police warn racers as crash anger mounts

Boy racers have been put on notice to think long and hard before they act stupidly and wreck their future lives.
Masterton police area commander Inspector John Johnston said "hare-brained" actions as a teenager can rebound on people for life, especially if acts of stupidity lead to them being convicted of serious crimes.
Mr Johnston was responding to an upsurge of indignation caused by a three- car pile up in Manaia Road last week that could easily have claimed the lives of two boy racers, their passengers or the life of innocent adult driver Lindy Williamson whose vehicle was struck and wrecked by the cars involved.
The crash and media photographs of the carnage- aftermath prompted phone calls to Masterton mayor Garry Daniell who was also accosted in the street and asked what he intended to do about boy racers.
Mr Johnston said it was unfair for people to tackle the mayor about the issue.
'He has no power or control power over it- it's not a council matter.
"Residents who see boy racers speeding, doing doughnuts or drifting round corners should ring the police, not the mayor."
Mr Johnston said it was fact that certain parts of the town and rural area were being used as " circuits."
"People living in those areas should get on the phone to police and if possible get descriptions of the cars being raced."
He said the police may not always be able to immediately attend and descriptions helped future identification.
Mr Johnston said there had been recent discussions nationwide regarding drink-driving that concluded if someone consciously drinks then drives and kills another as a result of their actions then they could be convicted of manslaughter.
"Therefore logically it follows that the same ruler can be run over someone who kills another from boy racing cars.
'The kids who are driving these cars must realise that."
He said one of the long lasting penalties from convictions of that sort is being denied overseas travel.
"Especially to the United States which seems to be where every young person wants to travel.
"Not only will they not get into the States, they won't be allowed to transit through the States to other destinations either.
"Coupled with that is the fact their future employment spectrum is greatly reduced by criminal convictions - all that because of hare-brained actions as a kid."
Mr Johnston said charges have not yet been levelled against the teenagers at the heart of last week's crash.
They are under 17 and would have to go through the family conference process before any future action is decided on.
Mr Daniell said the phone calls and face-to-face incidents in the street had been from people enraged by last week's crash who had stories of their own to tell regarding bad driving by teenagers.
As a result he had spoken to police and was happy with assurances they would handle the complaints.
Mr Daniell said it seemed to him that coupled with bad driving was a complete lack of discipline on other areas, including littering the streets.
"It's especially bad at the northern roundabout by the Waipoua where kids gather in cars and leave all sorts of rubbish behind."