Fast-paced traffic stop by the Roads Policing Team takes dangerous driver off the roads
Officers proactively responded in two seconds and subsequently stopped a new driver that was travelling at exceptionally dangerous speeds in Bournemouth.
At around 11.40pm on Tuesday 4 June 2024, a roads policing officer was monitoring traffic at the Ashley Heath roundabout when he spotted a BMW 325i coupe being driven at inappropriate speed while navigating a left-hand bend.
Within two seconds after noticing the vehicle, the officer set off in order to stop the car while it was travelling along the A338 dual carriageway.
While maintaining a safe distance, the officer matched the speed of the BMW and a reading of 153mph was recorded on the police vehicle’s calibrated speedometer.
The car was subsequently travelling at almost double the speed limit as it approached a 50mph speed limit at Blackwater.
The distance between Ashley Heath and Blackwater is 5.2 miles, which takes around five minutes to travel at a safe speed. The BMW driver travelled between the two locations in half the time, in approximately two and a half minutes.
The driver, aged 23 and from Bournemouth, was charged with dangerous driving. He was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 21 February 2025 and received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was also disqualified from driving for two years and six months and was instructed to take an extended test.
Police Constable Kier Dagnall, of the Roads Policing Team, said: “We were very quickly able to respond and stop this vehicle from being involved in a collision and the driver potentially injuring themselves, their front-seat passenger or another road user.
“This driver had only passed his driving test three weeks beforehand and was travelling at incredibly dangerous speeds with someone else in his vehicle.
“We cannot make it any clearer – there is no excuse for driving over the speed limit and endangering other road users. The footage shows just how quickly the BMW driver was travelling as within seconds he was out of our sight.
“We know that some young, newly qualified drivers can be drawn into travelling at dangerous speeds and testing their capabilities, but this is not acceptable. You will ultimately risk losing your licence that you just worked hard to obtain and the consequences could be tragic if you are involved in a road traffic collision.”