AN underage driver, two stolen cars, two police chases and an Indian tourist allegedly driving 172km/h in a 110km/h zone with a passenger lying down in the back seat.
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These are the incidents that kept police busy over the long weekend, and highway patrol says they could have ended a lot worse than they did, particularly for a 14-year-old boy from Cessnock.
Police allege the teenager was driving a stolen car when he was detected by highway patrol in Swansea.
Police said the boy failed to stop after police attempted to pull the car over shortly after 4.30am on Monday, leading to a chase to Milray Street, where he lost control of the car.
The car crashed into a power pole, before again crashing through a fence and into the veranda of a home.
The 14-year-old was arrested and will be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.
The pursuit came a day after police were forced to chase a car that allegedly failed to stop in Kurri Kurri.
Police said they attempted to pull the car over for a random breath test when it sped off.
Police again spotted the car in nearby Neath before it was abandoned by the driver, who had fled on foot, but was later tracked down by a police dog.
The 28-year-old Cessnock man was arrested and charged on outstanding warrants and police pursuit.
He was also allegedly driving an unregistered vehicle.
Meanwhile, police had two men under guard in hospital on Monday after a serious crash in Highfields.
It is alleged the two men stole a wallet and keys to a Hyundai station wagon from a home on Ocean View Parade in Charlestown about 1.30am.
A short time later the Hyundai station wagon smashed into a tree at the intersection of City Road and Fernleigh Loop.
The 26-year-old male driver was trapped before being freed and treated for serious head injuries. A 17-year-old male was found a short distance away from the scene and treated by paramedics.
The driver was in a serious but stable condition, while the passenger was stable.
At Moorland, near Taree, an Indian tourist had his driving privileges revoked after he was caught allegedly driving 172km/h on the Pacific Highway on Sunday.
A 25-year-old female was also issued an infringement notice for not wearing a seat belt.
Traffic tactician Chief Inspector Bruce McGregor said more than 13,000 random breath tests were conducted in the Northern Region, which runs from the Central Coast to the Queensland border, with 32 people nabbed for drink driving by Monday morning.
Inspector McGregor said the consequences of poor driving behaviour should serve as a warning to other motorists.
