Whangārei motorist’s warning after being followed late at night on SH14

A Whangārei motorist was forced to hide with their daughter and two young children in a stranger’s driveway after their vehicle was followed by another car at night.

The person posted their “scary experience” anonymously on social media as a way to warn others to stay vigilant while on the region’s roads. They said they were still too shaken to reveal their identity.

They said their daughter was driving and they had two young children asleep in the back of their vehicle when they noticed a car was tailgating them as they left Whangārei after 8pm.

They said the car followed them along State Highway 14 and through Maungatapere as they headed to Dargaville.

And when their daughter pulled over to let the following vehicle pass, the car pulled up behind them and its driver turned the car’s lights off.

“There were no other cars on the road and it was very dark,” the person said.

Their daughter carried on driving and turned on to Mangakāhia Rd at Maungatapere so as not to continue on SH14, where they were concerned they would lose cellphone reception.

The car behind them did the same but at a distance, they said.

“We managed to pull into someone’s driveway, turn [the] lights off and duck down.”

They said the car that had been following them spent the next half an hour driving up and down looking for them as they stayed hidden and on the phone to police.

With no street lights in the area, it had been too dark to see the car’s licence plate number, they said.

“It was a scary experience, and who knows what their intention was.”

Fears for the sleeping children’s safety took the experience “up another notch”, they said.

“So please take care and stay safe out there.”

They said the experience has changed the way they will travel SH14 at night.

Police have urged motorists concerned about unsafe driving behaviour to pull into a safe place and contact police so they can “take appropriate action”.

The advice follows two incidents of unsafe driving, where motorists felt threatened by other drivers tailgating and intimidating them.

Police confirmed they were making inquiries into a report of traffic offending along the state highway between Whangārei and Dargaville on September 14. However, the incident shared online is believed to have occurred on Thursday night.

People are encouraged to call 111 if the incident is still happening or 105 to report non-urgent matters. A report can also be made online at www.police.govt.nz/use-105.