Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Friday 28th March 2025, at 05:30hrs
A 38-year-old man has been sentenced after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into a police car on the M11, narrowly avoiding seriously injuring officers.
Habib ur Rehman, of Ilford Hill, Ilford, admitted to dangerous driving following the incident which occurred on February 18th near Wendens Ambo, Essex.
At approximately 11:20 pm, Rehman, driving a Honda CR-V, collided with a stationary police vehicle on the southbound carriageway.
Officers were outside the vehicle, attending to a separate incident, and were forced to jump out of the way to avoid being struck.
The impact resulted in minor injuries to one police officer, and Rehman himself was taken to hospital for treatment.
On Thursday, March 20th, at a hearing, Rehman was handed an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
He was also disqualified from driving for a year, and ordered to take an extended re-test before regaining his license.
Additionally, he was ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge.
PC Edd Davidson Smith, one of the officers involved in the incident, spoke about the dangers of driving while fatigued.
“This case highlights the dangers of driving tired and falling asleep at the wheel,” he said.
“If anyone feels tired while driving, they should pull over somewhere safely and have a rest.”
He added, “Rehman seriously endangered me and my colleagues with his dangerous driving that night and it was more luck than judgement that none of us were more seriously injured.”
Essex Police have reiterated the importance of driver safety and urged motorists to take regular breaks during long journeys to avoid fatigue.
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