An internet video of a Dunedin skateboarder reaching speeds of 60kmh, passing traffic and travelling on the wrong side of the road has shocked police.
Uploaded on the video sharing website YouTube on Monday, the 1min 50sec clip was videoed by the skateboarder's companions following in a car, with one heard to say he was travelling at 60kmh.
Listed as a 20-year old, and with a user name of dudzbhnz, the skateboarder sits on his skateboard as he begins his journey in Middleton Rd, Corstorphine.
Gaining speed down the hill, the skateboarder pulls ahead of the amateur videomakers, narrowly overtaking a white ute and making an obscene gesture at the driver.
The skateboarder, dressed in a black FBI T-shirt, finishes his journey at the intersection of Easther Cres and Forbury Rd.
The skateboarder described the clip as ‘‘me buttbombing a hill overlooking my hometown of Dunedin, New Zealand, I missed the best corner's apex cause of that white ute. They deserved the fingers.''
Sergeant Tania Baron, of the strategic traffic unit, said she was appalled by the skateboarder's antics.
‘‘I have never seen anything like this before. I don't think they are thinking about the consequences of their actions. They are living in the moment.''
Sgt Baron said the skateboarder was lucky to be alive, with the driver of the ute narrowly missing him as he overtook the vehicle.
‘‘It would just take the driver to move slightly to the right and [we] would be looking at a fatality.''
Skateboards are classified as vehicles under the Land Transport Act, and the skateboarder could be charged with careless use of a vehicle, with a maximum fine of $3000 and possible driver licence disqualification.
Those recording the footage could also be charged with aiding and abetting careless use of a vehicle, with the same penalty applicable.
Last November, a Dunedin man was disqualified from driving after driving on the wrong side of the road eight times filming his action then uploading the footage on YouTube.
Appealing for information on the latest YouTube incident, Sgt Baron said people should think twice before committing crimes, let alone uploading the footage for the world, and the police, to watch.
