Sleeping woman drives 300km

WELLINGTON: A New Zealand woman drove for hundreds of kilometres while asleep at the wheel, sending SMSes from her cellphone along the way, police said yesterday.

Police said they received an emergency call just after midnight yesterday from a friend concerned that the woman had gone out in her car after taking sleeping medication.

Told that the woman had been sleep-driving 10 months previously and had a fondness for the beach, police ordered patrol cars to keep a lookout for her silver hatchback and began tracking her through her cellphone.

They said data showed the phone was on and she was sending SMSes as she drove from her Hamilton home to the seaside town of Mount Maunganui, a distance of almost 300km.

After five hours on the road, she was found slumped over the wheel of her car in the driveway of a house in which she used to live, with no recollection of her journey.

“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,” senior Sergeant Dave Litton said.

“While her being found safe and well is a relief for everyone involved, the potential for tragedy was huge. We are urging people who have medical conditions to be open and honest with their doctors and to seek advice if the medication they are prescribed affects their ability to drive.” – Sapa-AFP