The Oklahoma Highway Patrol issued a warning after a trooper had to perform a maneuver to stop a sleeping driver’s vehicle from crashing recently on the Will Rogers Turnpike in northeastern Oklahoma.Around 12:20 p.m. on December 13, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol received multiple calls about a newer-model Kia driving slowly in the right lane of the Will Rogers Turnpike. Callers reported that the driver appeared to be slumped over inside the car. Lt. Brian McSlarrow found the vehicle near the rest stop in Vinita, and the car was going 40 mph on the turnpike. Although the vehicle stayed in its lane, the driver was weaving back and forth inside the lane, KOCO News5 reported.McSlarrow confirmed that the driver was slumped over but couldn’t determine whether he was fatigued or was experiencing a medical emergency, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The trooper activated his emergency lights and got his patrol car close to the Kia, but the driver did not respond.McSlarrow then performed a tactical vehicle intervention maneuver, causing the Kia to stop and the driver to wake up. The driver told troopers that he had worked nearly 20 hours within a 24-hour period. He had recently left work and stopped to eat before getting on the road with the Kia’s lane assist feature activated.The car maintained a speed of around 40 mph, although troopers said they don’t believe cruise control was set.”They are confident the lane assist system kept the vehicle within its lane while the driver slept,” Oklahoma Highway Patrol officials said.Troopers issued the driver a citation, and his wife was called to take him home.”Driving while sleepy is extremely dangerous and can be just as dangerous, if not more so, than driving intoxicated,” the Oklahoma Highway Patrol posted on social media. “Troopers regularly respond to serious and sometimes fatal crashes involving fatigued drivers. This incident serves as an important opportunity to highlight the very real dangers of driving drowsy.”
