Truck driver filmed swigging champagne from bottle while on phone behind wheel

A truck driver was recorded swigging on champagne, calling his friends and rolling a cigarette as he drove at work. Mason James Cowgill was caught taking both hands off the wheel to crack open a bottle of Bollinger and chugging away at the alcoholic drink as he drove on the A65 in North Yorkshire. In the same footage, he is later seen rolling up a cigarette, which he puts behind his ear to smoke later, and using his mobile too.

During both instances, he’s distracted and takes his hands off the steering wheel. The terrifying footage was captured on June 7, last year when he crashed into one car and nearly caused another crash. At one point in his journey, the van crashes into the back of a car which was stationary in traffic, police said.

Truck driver Mason James Cowgill (North Yorkshire Police / SWNS.CO)

The car was damaged in the collision but thankfully nobody was injured.

Cowgill and the car driver exchanged details, but Cowgill left the scene before officers arrived. North Yorkshire Police said he was “lucky he didn’t kill anyone” as he continued his journey while making more phone calls to friends and almost caused another crash.

Mason James Cowgill ringing his friends as he drove his truck (North Yorkshire Police / SWNS.CO)

Cowgill reported the collision to his boss, who owned the van, and he reviewed the in-cab footage. The boss sacked Cowgill, of Skipton, North Yorks., and sent the footage to the police. Cowgill pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in court, where he was disqualified for a period of 32 months including an extended retest.

Speaking after his sentencing, PC Babs Parsons of North Yorkshire Police said: “Cowgill is lucky he did not kill or seriously injure someone that day.

Cowgill sipping on Bollinger (North Yorkshire Police / SWNS.CO)

“The manner in which he drove demonstrated a clear danger to other road users and I’m amazed he did not cause any more collisions.

“This was not a momentary lapse in concentration, this is a sustained period in which Cowgill paid very little or no attention at all to the road and was clearly not in control of the van he was driving.

“I thank the owner of the van for bringing this footage to our attention as it has enabled us to take a very dangerous driver off the road”.

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