Sleeping driver’s crash caught on video

Have you ever been driving behind a car or truck in or around Chambersburg and thought to yourself, “What is going on with that driver?” Maybe they are driving slow, then they speed up, or perhaps they go and pass your vehicle well above the speed limit. Or they are weaving all over the road, from the shoulder to the opposite lane.

You may think to yourself that you need to get away from them before something goes seriously wrong. A driver had that experience in Fayette County, Pennsylvania last week, when he and his passenger were following a vehicle that was driving erratically.

The passenger used his cellphone to video the other car as they followed it along Route 21. The car is seen drifting over to the right, with its tires crossing the white line that marks the edge of the lane. It then drifts to the left, across the centerline, seconds after a school bus has passed, going the other direction.

The driver appears to speed up, and then applies the brakes just before it turns directly in front of another vehicle, which careens off the erratic driver’s car and crashes into their vehicle.

Fortunately, no one suffered serious injuries because of this car accident, but the Pennsylvania State Police reported that the driver was very sleepy and fell asleep while driving, as she had worked the midnight shift.

Drowsy driving is very dangerous and a driver will behave, as in this case, much like a drunk driver or someone under the influence of drugs. Motor skills are diminished and reaction times are deadened.

If you do shift work, you should be very careful when driving home, as these overnight hours are difficult to adjust to and leave you vulnerable to drowsy driving.

It would be far better to call a cab or a friend for a ride than to risk the catastrophic consequences of a head-on collision.

WPXI.com, “UPDATE: Driver in recorded Uniontown crash fell asleep,” October 23, 2014