A drunk teenage driver who died while fleeing police she mistakenly believed were chasing her was on a restricted licence and doing up to 183km/h, before crashing into a tree.
Tielyr Saige Ayrton, 17, had two friends in her car when she drove at high speed down a main road into Nelson in the early hours of March 13, 2022.
The teen, who should not have been drinking alcohol at all before getting behind the wheel, had a level in her system just over three times the legal adult level.
As Ayrton approached a left-hand curve while driving north on Waimea Rd, at one point at three times the legal speed limit, she lost control of the car, which burst into flames after colliding with a tree.
A police vehicle with flashing lights which loomed behind her had not been chasing her, but was trying to get past her to attend a disorder incident in town, Coroner Megan Armistead said in her findings, released today.
Ayrton received multiple injuries and died at the scene from what a pathologist said was primarily a traumatic head injury, while her two passengers were seriously injured.
Coroner Armistead said, in extending her condolences to the teen’s whānau and friends for their tragic loss, that her death was avoidable.
“There is a wealth of publicly available information advising against driving with excess speed and Tielyr’s death is a tragic reminder of those dangers,” she said.
Ayrton lived at home in Nelson with her parents, who are believed to have since moved overseas.
She regularly drove the Toyota Mark-X sedan she was in at the time of the crash.
At about 1.30am, a police dog handler was conducting mobile patrols in the suburb of Stoke, south of the city, when he was called to assist with a disorder incident in the centre of town.
CCTV footage showed that at 1.37am Ayrton’s Toyota was travelling at about 63 km/h on Waimea Rd, which had a 50km/h speed limit.
The police vehicle appeared behind with flashing lights.
Ayrton increased her speed and made no attempt to pull over to allow the police vehicle to pass, Coroner Armistead said.
A video taken by one of the passengers about 10 seconds before the crash recorded one of the passengers saying “boosted them off”.
When the officer realised the Toyota was not going to allow him to pass, he deactivated his flashing lights and began to slow down.
But Ayrton continued to accelerate, reaching 183km/h.
CCTV footage showed she braked and reduced her speed to 112km/h as she entered the left-hand curve near the intersection with Wellington St.
Crash investigators found the full braking potential of the Toyota was not used.
One reason was possibly because of Ayrton’s level of impairment. Analysis showed she had 153mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood – three times the adult limit, when the level for drivers aged under 20 was zero.
Crash investigators said another reason Ayrton might not have been able to slow down further as she entered the bend was because it appeared she was driving barefoot.
They said it was possible her “jandal-type footwear” found in the driver’s footwell became lodged under the brake pedal, preventing full brake application.
Ayrton lost control of the vehicle, which crossed into the oncoming lane and crashed into a tree at about 106km/h.
The officer rounded the corner and was confronted with the car against the tree and on fire.
He put the fire out and attempted to remove the people from the vehicle as members of the public gathered to help.
They were able to remove the rear passenger as Fire and Emergency New Zealand arrived and attended to Ayrton and the front-seat passenger, who were both trapped.
When the ambulance arrived soon after, Ayrton was unresponsive with obvious major trauma and died at the scene.
The two passengers were seriously injured and taken to Nelson Hospital.
Coroner Armistead said crash investigators were able to determine the vehicle’s speed by analysing CCTV footage from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) cameras, a speed monitoring sign on Waimea Rd, data from the airbag control module fitted to the Toyota, independent witness accounts and tyre abrasion markings.
Tasman District serious crash analyst Senior Constable Simon Burbery concluded that the crash was caused by extreme high speed and Ayrton’s late attempt to slow the vehicle down, and being too close to the curve of the road to be effective.
Coroner Armistead said Ayrton’s death highlighted the increased risks for inexperienced drivers and the importance of complying with the conditions of a restricted licence.
She said there was evidence to show that drivers on a restricted licence were seven times more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious injury crash than other drivers, partly because of driving inexperience.
Restricted drivers are not allowed to drive between 10pm and 5am or carry passengers unless they have a fully licenced driver with them.
“Two of the riskiest situations for young drivers are driving at night and carrying passengers,” Coroner Armistead said.
She added the dangers of consuming alcohol and then driving had been well publicised.
She said her comments, directed to the driving public of New Zealand, were for the purpose of public education.
“I consider that it possible that, if drawn to public attention, together with driver education, these comments may reduce the chances of further deaths occurring in similar circumstances to those in which Tielyr died.”
