WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) — Authorities are reminding drivers of the dangers of “drowsy driving” after a Wyoming police officer stopped a wrong-way driver on US-131 early Wednesday morning.
Officer Tony Jacob spotted the wrong-way driver around 2:45 a.m. driving north in the southbound lanes of US-131 near 44th Street SW in Wyoming.
Video from Jacob's cruiser shows him pulling alongside the wrong-way vehicle, which was traveling around 50 to 60 mph. That's when Jacob noticed the driver appeared to be sleeping. The dash camera video shows Jacob using his cruiser to push the car to a stop.
The department says Jacob's quick-thinking almost certainly prevented a head-on crash.
The wrong-way driver told authorities he had been awake for more than 40 hours. A police lieutenant says the driver was ticketed for reckless driving.
Wyoming police are reminding drivers of the dangers of “drowsy driving” or “fatigued driving.” According to the news release, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates around 90,000 crashes in 2015 were caused by drowsy driving. In 2017, there were 795 traffic deaths due to drowsy driving.