---
title: "Watch a Police Officer Narrowly Escape an Out-of-Control F80 BMW M3"
description: "The BMW M3 crossed the median and reportedly struck the parked cars while traveling at 120 mph."
date: "2023-05-03"
modified: "2023-05-03"
authors:
  - name: "Peter Nelson"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/peter-nelson"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/watch-a-police-officer-narrowly-escape-an-out-of-control-f80-bmw-m3"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Watch This"
---

# Watch a Police Officer Narrowly Escape an Out-of-Control F80 BMW M3

![fairfax county police crash bmw m3](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/03/Screenshot-2023-05-03-at-10.35.21-AM.png>)
*\<em\>Fairfax County Poilce Department/NBC Washington\</em\>*

A police officer in Virginia narrowly avoided a serious crash Monday morning in a suburb outside of Washington D.C. [NBC](<https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/see-officer-barely-avoids-vehicle-spinning-120-mph-va-highway-rcna82572>) reported that during a routine traffic stop, a speeding F80-generation BMW M3 lost control in the opposite direction of travel, skipped across the grassy median backward, and crashed into both the car he pulled over and the officer's patrol car.

The moment of impact is immensely frightening. The officer was in the right place at the right time—or the opposite, depending on how you look at it—and escaped with minor injuries. The M3 smashes into the pulled-over [BMW](<https://www.thedrive.com/category/bmw-news>) 7 Series, slams it into the guard rail, then deflects off and smacks into the officer's Ford patrol car. In the process, it clips the officer's right leg—it's tough to tell how hard, but it's clear that adrenaline enabled him to hop over the guardrail quickly. The blink-of-an-eye clip could've been much worse if he remained on the passenger side of the 7 Series. Had he been closer to his car, it could've been brutal as well.

![](<https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:eco,dpr_2.0/rockcms/2023-05/230502-car-spins-WRC-ac-703p-39647e.gif>)
*Fairfax County Police Department/NBC Washington*

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said that nobody was seriously injured, including the occupants in the M3 and the 7 Series driver, which is a testament to modern safety technology.

Whatever caused the 17-year-old driver of the M3 to lose control is unclear. It could've been a blown tire, excessive speeding, too much car, or a combination of the three. Nobody would call an M3 slow. Regardless, the estimated speed at the time of impact was 120 mph. The driver of the M3 was cited for reckless driving.

To make this an all-Bavarian affair, an E89-generation Z4 almost endures the wrath of the M3, too. From the video posted by NBC on its page, it looks like its driver stopped to offer assistance.

Remember: Drive safe and responsibly, the [BMW S55 engine](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/26351/2019-bmw-m2-competition-review-bimmers-small-sports-car-borrows-a-cup-of-horsepower-from-the-m3>) is a beast, and out of control, can lead to dire consequences.

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## Author
Peter Nelson is a former staff writer at The Drive. He often finds himself blogging about all-things motorsports and off-roading as he's thoroughly infatuated with having fun behind the wheel.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenelson/>)  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/16vpete>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/16vpete>)