Driver has licence revoked after dangerous driving on A3

A man has lost his licence after being found guilty of dangerous driving.

On Saturday, 15 April 2023, Sergeant Gary Lefort from the Roads Policing Unit was conducting an anti-social driving patrol on the A3 when he noticed a grey Volkswagen ID travelling along the Esher Bypass near Painshill and Cobham.

Sgt Lefort witnessed the Volkswagen driving at speed and undertaking other road users exceeding the temporary 50 miles per hour limit in place for the roadworks.

The vehicle was then seen tailgating a Vauxhall Corsa travelling at the speed limit, trying to force it out of the way by flashing its lights and driving close behind it in an aggressive manner. When the Vauxhall Corsa moved into a nearside lane, the Volkswagen accelerated sharply again to 91 miles an hour.

It then undertook a Mercedes at 100 miles an hour, before undertaking three further vehicles at 107 miles per hour. Having seen enough to be convinced that the driver posed a significant risk to public safety, the vehicle was stopped.

The driver tried to justify his behaviour by claiming that someone was chasing him and trying to run him off the road, becoming agitated and confrontational. He was reported for dangerous driving, and was sentenced on Monday, 5 February at Guildford Magistrates’ Court.

53-year-old Andrew Simpson (DOB 04/07/1970), of Woking, was disqualified from driving for 18 months. After this disqualification period has ended, he will have to apply for a provisional driving licence, and then pass both the theory test and an extended practical driving test to be able to regain his full licence.

Simpson was also ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge totalling £199 and required to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

PS Lefort said, “The manner of driving displayed by Andrew Simpson exemplifies exactly why Roads Policing Units utilise unmarked vehicles and robustly enforce Fatal 5 offences. I hope the sentence handed down by the court serves as a deterrent for other drivers who may think of driving in such a manner on Surrey’s roads.”

The Fatal Five relates to five main contributory factors that cause serious road traffic collisions. They are:

• Distracted driving (such as using a mobile phone)
• Excessive or inappropriate speed
• Drink and drug driving
• Failing to wear a seatbelt
• Careless and inconsiderate driving