A man has been banned from driving after being seen slumped at the wheel while driving.
Christopher Mawson, of High Hope Street, Crook, was arrested by officers from the Durham Special Constabulary Rural Crime Team in October last year when they attended a road traffic collision in the Tow Law area.
When the volunteer officers arrived on the scene, they found 40-year-old Mawson sat behind the wheel of a grey Fiat Punto.
When officers spoke to Mawson, he was apparently unable to recall the details of the crash that had happened only moments earlier.
As they were speaking to Mawson, officers noticed that he was unsteady on his feet, had dilated pupils and slurred speech.
He was given a roadside breath test which he passed. But he was later found to have a concoction of various prohibited drugs in his system, including cannabis.
After police spoke to witnesses, it transpired that Mawon has fallen asleep at the wheel while pulling out of a junction.
Other motorists had to take evasive action to avoid hitting him.
Appearing at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court this week, Mawson pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drugs.
He was disqualified from driving for 15 months and fined £200.
A spokesperson for Durham Special Constabulary Rural Crime Team said:
“It was extremely lucky that Mawson did not cause a serious collision involving other motorists.”
“Getting behind the wheel while under the influence of anything that inhibits your ability to drive safely, whether a legal substance or otherwise, puts not only you at risk, but other road users and pedestrians too.”
“The consequences of this incident could have been far, far more serious, and I hope Mr Mawson remembers this when his driving ban is lifted.”
Section 4 of the Road Traffic Act states that it is an offence if a person drives or attempts to operate a motor vehicle on a road or other public place while unfit through drink or drugs, which includes prescribed medication.
If you have a story you want to tell, or video you want to share, send it to Emergency Services News via contact@emergency-services.news
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more news, videos, blogs and stories: @ES_News_
WATCH:
Can you help Emergency Services News?
We when set our website up in November 2018, we had a straightforward mission: to bring our readers factual stories, which are free from negative bias but which are enriched with qualified experience.
Each member of our in-house team of writers has served in either the armed forces, emergency services or NHS.
This means that we can bring our readers not only the stories which matter but also stories without the negative spin.
But we cannot do this without your help. As ad revenue – the staple income of most publishers – continues to fluctuate, then we need the help of our supporters and readers more than ever.
Become a donor: You can make a one-off or reoccurring donation via Paypal. CLICK HERE to become a donor
We would like to thank you in advance for your continued support.
Before you go...
We need your help. As former emergency services & armed forces personnel, we pride ourselves on bringing you important, fast-moving and breaking news stories which are free from the negative bias which is often directed at the emergency services by some sections of the mainstream media.
One of the reasons we started 'Emergency Services News' was because we became tired of reading badly informed stories about the emergency services which seemed only ever to highlight negative aspects of the job.
We want to be the unheard voice of the remarkable men and women who serve in the emergency services, NHS and armed forces. And with around 500k page views each month, we are getting there!
As income from ads, the mainstay source of income for most publishers, continues to decline; we need the help of our readers.
And remember, if you have a service, product or job vacancy that you would like to promote to our large readership, then you can buy advertising space in our articles.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
