A California Highway Patrol officer was nearly hit head on by a wrong-way vehicle on Highway 101 in South South San Francisco last week.
The CHP officer was driving northbound on Highway 101 at an offramp in South San Francisco when he noticed the headlights of a Hyundai SUV approaching from the opposite direction. According to the CHP, the officer responded quickly and may have avoided a serious accident.
“Officer Tucker, who was traveling in the [number three] lane, approaching the exit, observed the wrong-way vehicle and quickly took action,” the CHP said. “[The officer] safely [moved] his patrol vehicle to the right, [activated] his emergency lights and siren while pulling directly in front of the Hyundai, impeding its forward progress as the Hyundai stopped right at the mouth of the off-ramp.”
The officer directed the SUV back up the offramp and stopped the driver on city streets. Following a sobriety test, the driver was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.
“[The] driver displayed objective symptoms of impairment,” the CHP said. “The driver was suspected of being more than double the .08% legal limit, upon conclusion of the investigation.”
The driver was brought into San Mateo County Jail on a misdemeanour DUI charge.
“Things could have been much worse for him and others had it not been for Officer Tucker’s timing, location, and quick actions in the moment,” the CHP said. “The driver stated he was coming from a specific location in San Francisco and on his way to his home, also located in San Francisco. He was unaware that he was no longer in San Francisco when he encountered Officer Tucker.”
According to the CHP, the traffic stop serves as “a solemn reminder to not take the chance of driving while impaired by alcoholic beverages, drugs, or any other substance that affects your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.”
