A taxi driver has been jailed for six years after dashcam footage captured him falling into a "microsleep" moments before he veered off the A23 in Merstham, Surrey, and killed a man standing beside his parked car. Kolawole Erunkulu, 45, from Bexleyheath, had been driving for 12 hours straight and had not had proper rest for almost three days when the crash happened on 17 August 2025. The case has drawn renewed attention to the dangers of fatigued driving, particularly among commercial drivers working long, irregular hours.

Erunkulu struck 59-year-old Philip Dray, who had pulled into a lay-by to rest and was climbing back into his Volkswagen when he was hit; he died at the scene. Erunkulu pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court, receiving six years in prison (reduced from a potential nine had he been convicted at trial) and an eight-year driving ban with an extended retest required. Surrey Police said the footage showed clear signs of exhaustion before the crash, and Mr Dray's family and partner paid tribute to him as a caring, dependable man whose loss they described as "incomprehensible and tragic".