Speeding driver asks police: ‘How else am I meant to overtake cars?’

It was a year ago when Warren Dixon’s attempt to pass a car on the left ended with him skidding his Harley Davidson into a pole on Songer St.

The 60-year-old has now been fined a total of $670 for three charges involving poor driving, even though he did not appear in court before a Justice of the Peace as scheduled.

“It seems he’s had enough of the system and just wants to carry on,” JP Cathy Knight said in the Nelson District Court on Friday.

Open Justice understands his absence from court was because he was at sea, on a fishing boat.

In July last year, Dixon was driving a black Ford car north on QE11 Drive, Atawhai, when he was clocked by police doing 99kmh in an area with an 80kmh speed limit, having just passed another vehicle in the passing lane.

He later asked the police how else he was supposed to overtake cars if he didn’t speed.

Dixon carried on to the Atawhai Four Square supermarket, went inside and was followed in by police, who told him they would wait outside.

When Dixon emerged from the store, he initially refused to provide his details, but eventually did when warned he’d be arrested.

After he was told he’d be given an infringement notice for exceeding the speed limit, and as police were leaving, Dixon reversed behind the patrol car, trapping the police for several minutes before moving on.

On the afternoon of January 1 last year, Dixon was caught riding his Harley Davidson at almost 40kmh over the 100kmh speed limit on State Highway 6, near Stoke.

The next day he was riding the same bike eastwards on Songer St behind another car as it turned into the New World supermarket car park.

Dixon’s attempt to “undertake” the car on the left caused a collision, resulting in him falling off his bike as it carried on and skidded into a pole. He told the police he was “going straight” and the car turned in front of him.

Dixon was also ordered to pay court costs on two of the charges.