Legally blind man drives 241 km while intoxicated

A 50-year-old legally blind man from Huddersfield, England, drove a car while intoxicated and covered a distance of 150 miles, or nearly 241 kilometers, along a motorway. Most shockingly, not only was he drunk, but he also did not have a driver's license.

It is said that simply surviving this incident is a great stroke of luck for the man. The incident took place on the morning of June 29.

On that day, while English police officers were on duty on the M6 motorway near Carlisle, they noticed an Opel Meriva moving erratically and weaving between lanes on the road.

The police initially thought they had caught a dangerous and careless driver. However, after the car was pulled over, it turned out that the situation was much more serious than expected. The driver was clearly intoxicated. Moreover, he had neither a driver's license nor insurance, and it turned out that he was almost completely blind.

Drank four bottles of wine and headed to Scotland

During a recent court hearing, Anthony Hall pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated, driving without a license and insurance, and taking a vehicle belonging to his partner without her consent.

His lawyer told the court that Hall made such a decision while trying to escape a difficult personal situation. The defense emphasized that relationship problems and financial difficulties caused the man to be under psychological pressure.

However, this situation was not enough to explain why a legally blind person got drunk, entered the motorway, and got behind the wheel.

Hall himself stated that after drinking four bottles of wine with his partner, he decided to go to Scotland to get away from his problems.

He had never held a driver's license. Despite this, Hall had spent a large part of his life around car-related matters and therefore believed he knew how to drive.

The most surprising aspect is that even though he had lost almost all of his vision two years ago, this did not deter him from the decision to get behind the wheel of a car.

Even stopped for refueling

According to the police report, while driving along the M6 motorway, Hall even pulled into a petrol station and fueled his car.

Station employees assisted him there. However, the employees did not report to the police that he was intoxicated or nearly blind.

Drove the car following the lights of a large truck

Naturally, the question arises of how a legally blind, intoxicated person managed to travel 150 miles, or 241 kilometers, along a motorway at night.

Hall explained this in his own unique way. He stated that he could still dimly perceive lights. Therefore, he drove behind a large truck on the road, following its taillights.

However, this method was not enough for safe driving either. Police officers observed that his car drifted from one lane to another several times on the road and even ended up on the hard shoulder.

It was a great stroke of luck that no serious traffic accident occurred under such circumstances. However, Hall's actions did not go unpunished.

The court sentenced him to 36 weeks of imprisonment. However, the sentence was suspended for 18 months.

In addition, Hall was ordered to abstain from consuming alcohol for 90 days and to participate in a rehabilitation program.