Taxi Driver Online

3.45am pick up. Wonder how long he'd been on? I'm guessing he hadn't just started his shift.


Cannock taxi driver fell asleep and crashed through gate with passengers in back

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black- ... p-24820172

His victim suffered injuries after the car left the road, close to the M6, and crashed into a field

A taxi driver has avoided jail time after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing his vehicle whilst transporting passengers, a court heard. The car that Yasir Hussain, 36, was driving left the road, travelled across a field and ploughed into a metal gate, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

The passenger, who was travelling in the cab, suffered a number of injuries following the smash in Essington, Staffordshire. She and another man had been picked from Birmingham Airport at around 3.45am June 17, 2019, by Hussain, who was working for Aero Taxis.

When they were on the road, they noticed that Hussain appeared 'tired' and also kept opening and closing his window and changing lanes 'unnecessarily', the court was told. The defendant drove them along the M6 before exiting a slip road to Hilton Services in Essington, Staffordshire, and soon after became 'slumped' behind the wheel before the vehicle veered off the road, it was said.

Sally Cairns, prosecuting, told the court: "The pair had pre-booked a taxi to take them to Essington. The defendant was the driver.

"The man had some concern about the defendant's driving. He thought the defendant was tired as he kept putting his window up and down and changing lanes unnecessarily."

After exiting into the services, Hussain drove down an exit road which was 'no entry', said Ms Cairns, adding: "Mr Bassett looked across and saw the defendant was slumped over the wheel."

The court was told that the taxi hit a curb, mounted a grass verge, hit a road sign, crashed into a metal gate and eventually came to a stop on a field near Hilton Lane.

Hussain claimed that the 'brakes had failed' but was told he had 'fell asleep' and was urged to call the police.

In the wake of the crash, the female victim suffered minor injuries including pain to her shoulder and hip. She had sleepless nights weeks after the crash, said Ms Cairns. Hussain had denied a single charge of dangerous driving but was convicted of that offence following a trial.

He had a clean driving record before the incident and no previous convictions.

Mr Zaheer Afzal, defending, said: "Before you is a man of no previous convictions and a father to four." Hussain has been a taxi driver for 10 years and is now seeking employment elsewhere to support his family.

Sentencing him, Recorder S Khanna, said: "You denied dangerous driving and took the matter to trial. In your presentence report, you still maintained your innocence however you don't seek to blame anyone else."

The judge noted that Hussain was of "previous good character" but there were also a number of "aggravating factors", including that he was "tired" and carrying passengers. The judge sentenced Hussain to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months.

Hussain, of Hatherton Road, Cannock, was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.

that is a long time from leaving the road were the passengers also fast asleep ?

and driving across a field would be bumpy surely the jolts from that would have woken him up ?

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

The fella was lucky the judge suspended the sentence, but not as lucky as the passengers who didn't end up being killed.

I suspect the driver had been working a shedload of hours, and this is a lesson to us all.

A lesson, I hasten to add, that no one with take any note of.

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IDFIMH