Horrifying moment 'distracted' lorry ploughs into pedestrian after mounting pavement - as driver avoids a prison sentence
The 67-year-old victim was sent flying after truck driver Glen Brady had become 'distracted by his sat nav'.
But, despite detectives believing that the incident on Biddulph Road, Congleton, could have killed her, Brady, 47, has avoided serving time in prison.
During a hearing at Crewe Magistrates' Court earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was handed a 24-week jail term, suspended for 12 months.
He also received an 18-month-long driving ban, and must complete an extended driving test.
PC James Shrimpton, of the force's roads and crime team, said that the innocent victim could have been killed by the horrifying collision.
Speaking after the sentence, PC Shrimpton said: 'I hope this case makes other motorists think very carefully about their actions behind the wheel and that they should be aware that when they get in a vehicle, they have the potential to cause real damage and even take a life.
'You have not only your life in your hands but other road users and this needs to be remembered every time you make that journey.'
Describing the victim as 'lucky' to have come away with such minor injuries, PC Shrimpton said that given 'the nature of Glen Brady's driving and the sheer size of the vehicle' there could have been 'much more serious, or even fatal injuries'.
PC Shrimpton also stressed the importance of drivers acting responsibly when using sat navs on the road, adding that while they are 'very helpful' for directions, they can also act as a great 'source of distraction', particularly in unfamiliar areas.
He added: 'If you find yourself lost or need to look over or reset your sat nav, it is always best to pull over in a safe location where you are not splitting your attention between the directions and the other road users and pedestrians around you.'
It comes as new RCA research released just last week showed that almost two-thirds of UK drivers surveyed said that they made mistakes on the road as a result of becoming distracted.
Meanwhile, the latest Government data shows that 940 people were killed or seriously injured in 2023 due to drivers being found to be distracted by something inside of their vehicle.
In contrast, up to 280 individuals were killed or seriously injured when a driver was distracted by something outside of the vehicle.
In September last year, two drivers were killed in a crash after a satnav audio directed one the wrong way down a slip road.
Tracey Haybittle, 58, died in hospital last year after her Volkswagen Tiguan was in a head-on crash with Amal Mohamed Ahmed's Peugeot 2008 in November.
The 38-year-old had 'mistakenly' driven the wrong way down the 'off' slip road of the A5 near the village of Little Brickhill, just south of Milton Keynes.
She died instantly at the scene. A female passenger who was critically injured survived the crash.
In a 'prevention of future deaths report' to TomTom, Apple, Google, and National Highways, assistant coroner for Milton Keynes, Sean Cummings, slammed satnavs for 'frequently' giving verbal commands that 'confuse' drivers.
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