Terrifying moment lorry driver swerves manically across major A-road missing traffic by INCHES while 4x over legal limit
THIS is the terrifying moment a drunk trucker swerves four times across a major A-road, managing to just miss traffic by a few inches.
The lorry driver was caught on camera weaving along a busy road – at four times the legal drink drive limit.
Iurie Istrati, 56, was spotted by other drivers who rang 999 to raise the alarm at his lunchtime drink-drive session.
He was seen at 1pm swerving between lanes and crossing white lines in his HGV.
A court heard police responded to a 999 call reporting a HGV swerving between lanes and the edge of the carriageway on the A483 at Gresford, North Wales.
Despite attempts by officers to pull the vehicle over, Istrati continued driving – and narrowly avoided crashing into the roadside barrier.
Officers overtook Istrati on the A5 near Halton and gradually brought the HGV to a stop.
Istrati was taken into custody and provided a breath specimen of 127 micrograms of alcohol, almost four times over the legal limit of 35.
Istrati, listed as of no fixed abode but believed to be Polish, was jailed for nine months.
He admitted dangerous and drink driving at Mold Magistrates Court.
PC Ryan Sheppard said: “Istrati’s dangerous driving clearly could have caused a serious or fatal collision if he was not stopped.
“He showed blatant disregard for the safety of members of the public and the law.
“I thank the concerned driver who called our control room to alert us to this incident.
“I would like to thank the individual who phoned us with their concerns regarding the behaviour they witnessed – although we will never know, they have potentially saved lives.
“Reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads remains a priority for North Wales Police and we will continue to do all that we can to remove dangerous drivers from the roads.
“If you suspect somebody is driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs, I urge you to report this to us so we can take action and keep our communities safe.”
He was also disqualified from driving for three years and four months, after which he would be required to pass an extended driving test to renew his licence.