M5 driver 'slept' for 17 miles
27th August 1998, Page 8
27th August 1998
Page 8
Page 8, 27th August 1998
— M5 driver 'slept' for 17 miles
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• A lorry driver travelled 17 miles along the M5 while asleep before eventually crashing into a wood, Gloucester Crown court heard last week.
Mark Rowland, 29, of Chepstow, Gwent, admitted to police at the scene of the crash last November that he had "nodded off". A following truck driver told the court he saw the artic snaking across the motorway and leave at junction 10, near Cheltenham. The vehicle was badly damaged but Rowland was unhurt.
Rowland's tacho showed the vehicle's speed had been eratic, indicating he had been dozing for some time. Admitting dangerous driving, Rowland was banned from driving for a year and ordered to pay a fine of .£500 with £250 costs.