A quote from Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker remains eerily intact on the side of an otherwise mangled wreck.
"If one day speed kills me, don't cry because I was smiling," it reads. The sticker is a nod to Walker who died following a high speed, fatal collision in 2013 -- half way through filming scenes for the seventh movie in the blockbuster series.
But there were no smiles from police who attended the "graphic, even grisly", scene where a silver 1997 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4 came to rest on Farndon Rd last Saturday.
No smiles from the friends and family of Jesse Uncles, 21, who lost his life in the back seat that night.
Another passenger remains in Wellington Hospital with "very serious" injuries, while two other surviving occupants will live with that horror forever.
A nurse and mother of two, who does not wish to be named, was on her way home when she discovered the crash.
Breaking heavily to avoid the wreck, she ended up on the wrong side of the road -- it was dark with very little street lighting, on a blind corner -- just before midnight.
After calling emergency services she administered primary care -- days later she is still haunted by those images.
Senior Constable Cory Ubels was called in -- an experienced Serious Crash investigator he is used to putting the chaos to one side and gathering evidence.
But his role does not end there -- among the broken glass and tyre marks -- he must delve deep into surrounding circumstances and liaise with families.
As part of ongoing investigations many factors were up for consideration, including alcohol and speed.
"Combine this with a road that has plenty of hazards -- ditches, trees, narrow shoulders -- and it was always going to happen," Senior Sergeant Greg Brown said.
Police have recently dealt with numerous cases where bad decisions behind the wheel resulted in near misses or injury.
Last month, a car packed with six teenagers, including one in the boot, careened into a paddock narrowly missing a concrete culvert -- three were taken to hospital with moderate to serious injuries; another last Wednesday turned into the path of a truck on Meeanee Quay seriously injuring two people -- three days later Jesse was killed and his friends injured on Farndon Rd.
"If you think about it, we could easily have had 12 deaths on our roads if fate had dealt a slightly different hand," Mr Brown said.
Even one life lost is too many -- but those with a need for speed don't seem to be getting the message.
Last weekend was particularly "disheartening and frustrating" for Senior Constable Andy Clinton. On Friday alone he stopped a 20-year-old speedster on Norton Rd driving 132km/h in a 50km/h zone -- the same night a motorcyclist was caught doing 144km/h in a 100km/h zone on the expressway.
"Lady luck allowed us to intervene before he had a crash, or collected some innocent family on their way home on an urban street -- sometimes being caught by police is not the worst possible outcome."
Next he came across a gathering of between 40 and 50 boyracers at the intersection of SH50 and Maraekakaho Rd.
As a car did burnouts in the background friends surrounded police so the driver could escape -- while he was distracted, one member of the group keyed Mr Clinton's vehicle.
"Parents are often oblivious to the antics and dangerous driving their children are up to while they are tucked up in bed -- police all too often hear the same excuses: 'he just loves cars', 'he and his mates are just having fun', 'it's just what young people do these days'," Mr Brown said.
"What would they say if their child was one of six cars that drove deliberately through a red light at a busy Hastings intersection simply so they could stay in the drag train, or the cars driving at break neck speeds on our rural roads because there are no cops about?"
He likened it to handing a teenager a firearm -- not dangerous on its own, but lethal when loaded.
"Most parents would pay more attention if their teen mentioned they were going hunting than they would if they said they were going out in a mate's car.
"But the car carries the same risk, and many more teens have access to cars without the supervision of an adult -- nowadays they are quicker, so the risk of temptation is greater."
While a graduate licensing system was set in place to help ease young people into safe driving practices, many were still ignoring the rules.
Some parents simply turned a blind eye.
"Is it for convenience or parents avoiding a hassle? Perhaps it is time for a re-think," Mr Brown said.
By Amy Shanks of the Hawke's Bay Today
