Rude awakening: Regina driver gets ticket after falling asleep at railroad crossing
Driver awakened after police officer blares siren at him
Regina drivers have often complained about the long waits at the ground-level railroad crossing on Ring Road near the Winnipeg Street overpass.
One Regina driver got a rude awakening after he fell asleep behind the wheel of his vehicle while waiting at the crossing.
According to Regina police Constable Mike Seel — who often tweets bad driver behaviour through his Regina Police Service Twitter account — the driver was in the midst of a good slumber even after the train was gone.
"Train passes, arms lift, lights stop flashing but our lane doesn't move," Seel tweeted. "Pull beside vehicle stopped first in line. Driver is sleeping.
"Wake him up by turning my lights and sirens on."
The driver was given a $280 ticket for driving without due care and attention.
Seel's tweet generated debate from some who thought slapping the driver with a ticket went too far.
Seems rather harsh when a simple honk would have had him on his way.
—@NikaraxI agree with most, ticket was unnecessary. A simple warning and a good laugh would have sufficed. Trains are LONG, life is sometimes hard and we could all us a 20 minute nap! I’d say he was using his time well. Do the right thing and rip up the ticket.
—@BonnieGorski6But Seel felt he did the right thing.
I have issued people cell phone tickets stopped at a green light. How is sleeping in a driving lane after the train has moved any less dangerous?
—@RPSTrafficUnitWhile encountering sleepy drivers may have been new for Seel, he's seen plenty of other bad driver behaviour on the roads. Just last month, he told CBC News he gave out 1,900 tickets in 2019. 1,400 of those were for cellphone-related offences.