Woman Arrested After Police ‘Ram’ Car Driving Wrong Way on A3

Published on: 29 Jan, 2014
Updated on: 29 Jan, 2014

A woman has been arrested after police officers in an unmarked vehicle make ‘tactical contact’ with the car she was driving the wrong way on the A3 at Ripley in the early hours of Wednesday (January 29).

The female driver of the black Volkswagen Polo has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drink or drugs following the collision with an unmarked police vehicle around 3.40am.

She was taken to the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford following the collision but has since been discharged and is currently being interviewed at Woking police station.

The police vehicle was responding to reports of a car being driven the wrong way on the southbound carriageway. The collision occurred when the officers in the police vehicle stopped the Polo by making tactical contact with it.

The two officers were taken to hospital as a precaution but have since been discharged.

The A3 at Ripley was closed for several hours following the incident.

The incident has been referred to the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission), due to the involvement of a police vehicle.

Inspector Richard Mallett of Surrey Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “The officers have put themselves in harm’s way by taking this action intended to protect the safety of other drivers on the road.”

Anyone who witnessed the collision, or with any information which would assist the investigation, is asked to contact Surrey Police on 101, quoting incident reference P14027739.

Responses to Woman Arrested After Police ‘Ram’ Car Driving Wrong Way on A3

Martin Elliott Reply

January 29, 2014 at 5:39 pm

Lots of chatter on other sites as to whether the ‘tactical contact’ was appropriate. I think the IPCC investigation is the best way to consider if the officers should and could have used another method in the time/condition.
I hate to assume, but its very probably the VW came down the Burpham slip road the wrong way, onto the South bound carriageway.
There seems to an incident here around every other month.
HA & SCC look at the signage and declare it to be compliant with the design standards. If it keeps happening, maybe the standards need to reviewed and revised in light of the number of accidents.
The roundabout is so cluttered with signs its impossible to read, or prioritise, the information.
Also the arrows on the sliproad aren’t actually very visible going North due to the gradient, and actually give false lane information going South into the roundabout!
jim Allen Reply

January 31, 2014 at 10:56 pm

Easy to blame Burpham but it is the A320 Woking road which has no NO ENTRY signs at the base of the A3 Slip Road – its unknown which road she entered by – one things for sure – keep making roads complex with multiple lanes and Timed bus lanes whic h buses use and cycle lanes which cyclist don’t use and in the end someone will make an error or mistake sober of drunk -we should have a clear out of signs and staff who live in the world of could be’s and Predictions and bring in some logical and practical reality staff who can see the problems and put them right,