69-year-old shares terrifying dashcam footage of moment she fell asleep behind the wheel
Terrifying dashcam footage has been posted online showing the moment a woman lost control of her car while driving in Western Australia due to exhaustion.
The woman encouraged Police to share the footage in the hopes to spread awareness of the dangers of driving while tired.
Video of the crash on the Great Southern Highway at Murdong, in Western Australia, begins with the car travelling in the correct lane but it veers onto the wrong side of the road, before moving onto the dirt strip next to the highway.
The 69-year-old then crossed back over to the other side of the highway and collides side-on into a power pole.
“She believes she fell asleep, but says she doesn’t really know what happened, thinking it could possibly be medically related,” explained a post on the Western Australia Police Force Facebook page.
“The driver realises she was lucky to survive and asked us to release her dashcam vision to warn other drivers of the dangers of fatigue.”
The 69-year-old suffered minor injuries in the accident, which occurred on Wednesday, September 12.
In the post, police said the woman would not be facing any charges but will have to undergo a Fitness to Hold test, to prove she is fit enough to own a driver’s licence.
WA Police are now using this opportunity to remind drivers of the dangers of fatigue, saying to watch out for early signs such as wandering thoughts; missing a gear, road sign or exit; slowing unintentionally or braking too late.