Over-the-Limit Truck Driver Jailed After ‘Swerving All Over’ the Road
A truck driver who was more than three times over the legal alcohol limit was jailed after veering across lanes on a busy motorway and nearly colliding with a car, Avon and Somerset Police said.
Ihar Shynkevich, 35, was handed a 19-week prison sentence and band from driving for 1,163 days.
“The limit is 35 … you’ve blown 135,” the police officer administering the test can be heard telling Shynkevich in video released by police.
“Considering the size of Shynkevich’s vehicle, the weight of the load he was carrying and the manner of his driving on a busy stretch of carriageway, there could easily have been a major collision on the M5 that afternoon,” Insp Stephen Whatley said[1]. Credit: Avon and Somerset Police via Storyful
Video transcript
– Police emergency. What’s the location?
– I’m currently traveling on the M5 Northbound. I’ve got an arctic behind me a 44 tonne truck and trailer, and it’s swerving all over the place. Basically it’s gone from lane one, almost completely onto the hard shoulder. Back into lane one, and repeated that a couple of times.
You see why a member of the public called in? I’d do exactly the same.
– Thank you very much.
– Oh [BLEEP]. [BLEEP] look how close he is to the lorry in front as well.
– I’ll hold, now you blow. Keep going.
[OFFICERS SPEAKING TOGETHER] Keep going. Keep going.
– Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. That’s it. OK.
– [SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]. parking OK.
– Yeah.
– Oh.
– [SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE].
– Ooh.
– OK. The limit is 35, you’ve blown 135.
– [SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE].
– OK. So, you’re now under arrest on suspicion of driving whilst over the prescribed limit.
[MUSIC PLAYING]