Tasmania's Chief Justice says it's "lucky" a police officer was not killed when he was deliberately hit by a drunk teen in a stolen car.

Key points: Constable Benjamin Fogarty continues to have treatment for physical and mental trauma

Constable Benjamin Fogarty continues to have treatment for physical and mental trauma The driver had a blood-alcohol reading of 0.192

The driver had a blood-alcohol reading of 0.192 His 22-month jail term was suspended

Constable Benjamin Fogarty was thrown over the bonnet of the stolen car being driven by the then-teenager who was evading police in Blackmans Bay, south of Hobart, in December 2017.

"He is lucky that he was not killed or seriously disabled," Chief Justice Alan Blow said.

The Supreme Court heard Constable Fogarty continues to have treatment for the physical and mental trauma he suffered.

"He was diagnosed with post-traumatic anxiety. He is still receiving counselling as a result," Chief Justice Blow said.

"He had a breakdown after hearing about fellow police officers being hit by a car and one of them having his leg amputated."

The driver, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was 17 at the time.

He had been fighting at a party at Kingston and was taken home by police but returned, stealing a car from a neighbouring unit.

The court heard he was on bail for other driving offences at the time and was disqualified from driving because of previous drink-driving offences.

He had already "aggressively" reversed the stolen car into a man outside a block of units in Kingston — pinning him to a steel picket fence, and driven at another.

When police spotted him about 1:15am he was speeding through the rain on Algona Road in Kingston at 150 kilometres per hour.

He refused to stop and when police cornered him in a cul-de-sac in Crystal Downs Drive in Blackmans Bay, he deliberately drove at Constable Fogarty.

"He drove directly at the officer, who feared for his life," Chief Justice Blow said.

The court heard Constable Fogarty drew his gun and pointed it at the car, yelling, "Don't f***ing do it", firing his weapon when the car did not stop.

Constable Fogarty's gun unintentionally fired again as he was thrown over the front of the stolen car.

"I thought he was going to kill me," he said in his victim impact statement read to the Supreme Court last month.

"I thought I had said good night to my wife and kids for the last time that night.

"I would either go under the car and that would be how I would die. Or I would never walk again."

'The dogs shot me in the head'

One of the bullets struck the driver to the right side of the head, lodging under his skin, but did not enter his skull.

The driver did not realise he had been hit by a bullet and continued to drive away but later returned to the crash site.

"The injured officer was lying on the side of the road and three officers were standing on the road. [He] drove at the officers at high speed," Chief Justice Blow said.

"One of the officers drew his firearm, pointed it at [the driver], yelled at him to stop, and warned that he would shoot.

"[He] braked heavily, skidded to a stop about 10 metres from the officers, reversed, turned the vehicle, and drove away."

The court heard the driver returned to the party he had been at earlier in Kingston, telling others: "The dogs shot me in the head."

He was later arrested and underwent surgery in the Royal Hobart Hospital to remove the bullet.

He had a blood-alcohol reading of 0.192.

The court heard the driver had been before the courts every year since the age of 13 and was on bail at the time he drove at police.

Chief Justice Blow said although the driver had, "committed some very serious crimes and offences", he did not think it was appropriate in all the circumstances for him to spend any more time in custody unless he reoffended.

He wholly suspended a 22-month jail term, put the driver on good behaviour for two years; disqualified him from driving for 18 months and ordered he perform 175 hours of community service within 12 months.