TIRUPATTUR: When the traffic signal turned red on Chennai-Bengaluru NH near Ambur at 11.45 am Sunday, a lorry driver turned off the vehicle engine, but he himself ‘drifted off’. Upon seeing him sleeping on the steering wheel, Special Sub-Inspector of Police (SSI) K Kirubakaran, who was overseeing traffic at Rajiv Gandhi junction approached the lorry.
“I feared the man had suffered a stroke. But, fortunately, he woke up when I knocked on the door. He was just worn out. If he had dozed off while driving, it could have led to a fatal accident,” Kirubakaran told Express.
One of the major causes of road accidents is sleep-deprivation and exhaustion especially on national highways, Superintendent of Police P Vijayakumar pointed out. “Truck drivers should pull over vehicles to the laybys and have some refreshments in the wee hours to avoid falling asleep,” he added. The lorry driver was advised and provided water before he resumed his journey.