Sleeping driver texts friends, drives 300kms

A WOMAN who texted her friends and drove while asleep could soon be back on the road.

The New Zealand woman texted friends and drove more than 300 kilometres while asleep at the wheel. Picture: Thinkstock

A NEW ZEALAND woman who texted her friends and drove more than 300 kilometres while asleep could soon be back on the road despite urgent measures to stop her, the Bay of Plenty Times reports.

Police said they received an emergency call just after midnight Wednesday from a friend concerned the woman had gone out in her car after taking sleeping medication.

Told that the woman had been sleep-driving 10 months previously and had a fondness for the beach, police ordered patrol cars to keep a lookout for her silver hatchback and began tracking her via her mobile phone.

They said data showed the phone was on and she was sending texts as she drove from her Hamilton home to the beachside town of Mount Maunganui via Auckland, a distance of almost 300 kilometres (190 miles).

After five hours on the road, she was finally found slumped over the wheel of her car in the driveway of a house she used to live in, with no recollection of her sleepy sojourn.

"We have sought an urgent order forbidding her to drive and to seek medical advice on her suitability to remain holding her driver's licence," senior sergeant Dave Litton said.

But, according to the Bay of Plenty Times, it was unclear whether police would be filing an injunction through the courts to further stop the woman from driving or whether she would face any charges.

"While her being found safe and well is a relief for everyone involved, the potential for tragedy was huge," said Litton.

"We're urging people suffering medical conditions to be open and honest with their doctors and seek advice on if the medication they are prescribed affects their ability to drive or not."

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