Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver admits dangerous driving after he fell asleep at the wheel

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/loc ... ng-2562257

Azhar Iqbal had initially 'lied' and claimed he hit a fox

A taxi driver has been banned from the roads after he crashed into a tree when he fell asleep with his wife and a young autistic passenger in the car.

Azhar Iqbal, 41, of Tintagel Close, Derby, initially lied to Derby City Council licensing authority, claiming he swerved to avoid a fox.

But he abandoned that explanation after pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

Nottingham Crown Court heard Iqbal had been behind the wheel of a Peugeot people carrier on the eastbound carriageway of the A52, close to where it meets junction 25 of the M1, on February 9 last year at around noon.

The car drifted off the road, clipping the near side crash barriers, and ending up in trees on an embankment. It came to rest after hitting a tree.

A husband and wife had been following in their car when they saw the taxi veer to the right of the carriageway and then to the left.

When they overtook the driver, he had his chin touching his neck and his heading looking down.

After the smash, a dazed Iqbal had a cut across his nose and his wife had a large bump to her head.

The autistic passenger - a regular who was being transported on a long term contract for treatment - was uninjured.

Iqbal had worked as a taxi driver for ten years "without blemish", said his barrister, David Lee, and now has a job at a warehouse.

"He has lost his licence as a result of this," he told the court.

"He was allowed to drive on a personal licence until today. He has lost a good, well paid job as a taxi driver. He had a number of long term contracts driving people around."

He said there was no "neurological explanation" for the incident and "he has to accept, therefore, on that day he was more tired and warm, and he obviously fell asleep."

Iqbal had said he was "feeling a little under the weather that day".

Judge Gregory Dickinson QC, the Recorder of Nottingham, gave him a community order for 12 months, 50 hours of unpaid work, a 12-month driving ban, and ordered he pay £500 towards costs and a victim surcharge.

He told Iqbal: "When you were investigated by Derby City Council licencing authority you lied, saying you swerved to avoid a fox. You have abandoned that now and pleaded guilty."

And he said there was "no obvious reason why you fell asleep".

So his wife was in the cab with 'special needs' passenger on board?

But noon seems abnormal time to fall asleep, unless on 30-hour shift, or maybe some other reason...

I suspect she was the escort.

But clearly the fella had been working long hours with little sleep before he did his school run.

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IDFIMH

Was kinda thinking that, but isn't it normally the responsibility of the school or whatever to provide the escort?

No doubt if she's trained for that sort of thing (assuming training is necessary) then that's fine, but as someone who avoids this kind of thing like the plague, it all seems a bit cosy here.

Not usually.

The operator usually supplies the escort as part of the contract.

_________________
IDFIMH

As I said I'm not really up to speed on these things, but as far as I'm aware if there's an escort required here then they're designated by the school, and the driver may thus have two pick ups for a single job.

Not 100% certain though, but can't really imagine any of the local taxi operations here providing escorts.

Dramatic photos of smashed-up taxi after driver fell asleep on the A52

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/d ... xi-2635917

The Hackney cab crashed into trees

No point rehashing this whole story, but a couple of photos have been issued.


Image: Derby Telegraph/Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit


Image: Derby Telegraph/Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit