150 Miles in the Dark: How a Blind, Intoxicated Driver Navigated a Busy UK Highway

A blind man who drove roughly 150 miles through England at night while drunk has received a suspended prison sentence after police stopped him swerving across the M6. Anthony Hall, 50, had no driving licence and told officers he managed the extraordinary journey partly by following the lights of a heavy goods vehicle. 

The BBC reports police stopped Hall near Carlisle at around 1:45 a.m. on June 29 after his partner’s Vauxhall Meriva was spotted moving between lanes and onto the hard shoulder. He had driven it from Huddersfield after he and his partner drank four bottles of wine.

A roadside breath test recorded 50 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, above the 35-microgram legal limit in England and Wales. By some miracle, despite practically every conceivable rule of road safety being broken along the way, nobody was injured. 

He Followed the Lights for 150 Miles

Hall told the officer who stopped him that he had lost his sight around two years earlier but could still perceive some lights. While travelling along the motorway, he said he navigated by following the lights of an HGV.

Somewhere along the 150-mile journey, Hall reportedly even stopped for fuel. The court heard that an attendant filled the car at an unknown location before Hall continued towards Scotland. 

The man driving under the influence of alcohol told police he had wanted to escape problems involving his home, relationship, and finances. However, whatever escape route he had envisioned, it came with several serious legal detours that put himself and other people at risk of injury.

The Dangerous 150-Mile Drive Led to Court

Hall pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, drink-driving, driving without a licence or insurance, and taking a vehicle without consent. Kirklees Magistrates’ Court heard that he had no previous convictions.

His lawyer, Adele Graham, said Hall had suffered a breakdown before setting off and described him as “an individual in crisis making a poor decision while in crisis.” Magistrate Tracey McErlain-Burns also acknowledged his difficult personal circumstances and previous good character when sentencing him.

Anthony Hall received a 36-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months, meaning he will not immediately serve the custodial term. He must also complete rehabilitation activities and abstain from alcohol for 90 days.

The court ordered Hall to pay £272 in costs and disqualified him from driving for 12 months. That final penalty comes with one unusual footnote: Hall didn’t have a driving licence in the first place. After a 150-mile journey guided by nothing more than truck lights, perhaps the only direction left to follow was away from the driver’s seat.

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