A New Zealand woman drove for hundreds of miles while she was asleep at the wheel and still managed to miraculously send texts during her journey.
Police confirmed that the unnamed woman drove for around 200 miles in this extremely dangerous manner before arriving safely at her old house.
Officers responded to a 999 call that was placed in the middle of the night by a friend, who was concerned that the woman had gone out in her car and was driving around after taking her sleeping medication.
Police were informed that 10 months earlier the lady had been caught sleep driving. They were also informed that she had a fondness for the beach, so officers were then informed to keep on the lookout for a silver hatchback, and they also attempted to track the slumber driver via her mobile phone.
Date assisted them in their pursuit, and it began to show that she was using the using the phone to send texts while she drove from her Hamilton home to the beachside hamlet of Mount Maunganui via Auckland. This drive is almost 200 miles long.
It took the woman five hours to drive to her destination, where she was found inside her car, sleeping on the steering wheel in the driveway of the house that she used to live in. When officers quizzed her about her drive, she remarked that she had no recollection of it.
Sergeant Dave Litton said of the bizarre incident, “We have sought an urgent order forbidding her to drive and to seek medical advice on her suitability to remain holding her driver’s licence.”
Litton then added, “While her being found safe and well is a relief for everyone involved, the potential for tragedy was huge. We’re urging people suffering medical conditions to be open and honest with their doctors and seek advice if the medication they are prescribed affects their ability to drive or not.”
[Image via propositive /Shutterstock]