By Shawn Henry 
An Oklahoma traffic stop unfolded in an unusual and potentially dangerous way after a state trooper encountered a moving vehicle whose driver was unconscious behind the wheel on the Will Rogers Turnpike.
According to police, Lieutenant Brian McSlarrow was patrolling the highway when he noticed a vehicle traveling at approximately 40 miles per hour with its driver slumped forward over the steering wheel. Authorities described the situation as unlike anything they had previously encountered, given that the vehicle continued moving steadily despite the driver being asleep.
McSlarrow determined that immediate action was necessary to prevent a crash or serious injury. He initiated a tactical vehicle intervention, a maneuver designed to safely bring a moving vehicle to a stop when the driver poses a danger to themselves or others. During the intervention, the trooper was able to wake the driver and guide the vehicle to a controlled stop on the roadway.
Investigators later determined that the driver had worked nearly 20 hours within a 24-hour period and had fallen asleep while driving home. The vehicle’s lane assist system was activated at the time, which helped keep the car centered in its lane and allowed it to continue moving forward even as the driver lost consciousness.
@cbsnews Lieutenant Brian McSlarrow pursued a vehicle in which the driver was slumped over the steering wheel on the Will Rogers Turnpike in Oklahoma. The vehicle was traveling at about 40 MPH, and police said the incident was “unlike anything” they had seen before. McSlarrow performed a tactical vehicle intervention to “prevent a potential crash or serious injury”, waking the driver and bringing the car to a stop. Police said the driver had worked nearly 20 hours within 24 hours, and had fallen asleep on the drive home while the vehicle’s lane assist was activated. #police #driving #oklahoma ♬ original sound – cbsnews
Police noted that the presence of the driver assistance technology played a significant role in preventing the vehicle from immediately drifting off the roadway. However, they emphasized that such systems are not designed to replace an alert driver and cannot safely manage a vehicle without human supervision.
The incident highlights the risks associated with extreme fatigue and long work hours, particularly when combined with overreliance on driver assistance features. While the outcome avoided injury, authorities made clear that the situation could have ended very differently under slightly changed circumstances, such as heavier traffic or higher speeds.
Officials described the stop as a rare and sobering example of how fatigue can impair drivers as severely as other well-known hazards. They stressed that no technology can substitute for adequate rest and driver awareness, and that even advanced safety systems have limits when drivers push beyond them.
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