UK-based Nigerian taxi driver jailed six years for killing British motorist after falling asleep at wheel

In an incident highlighting the catastrophic dangers of driver fatigue, Kolawole Erunkulu, a British-Nigerian taxi driver, has been sentenced to six years in prison by a United Kingdom court. Erunkulu pleaded guilty at Guildford Crown Court to causing death by dangerous driving on the A23 in Merstham, Surrey. The prosecution detailed how his Audi veered off the road and struck 59-year-old Philip Dray, who had pulled over into a roadside layby to take a break from driving.

The prosecution's timeline revealed a shocking pattern of extreme overwork. In the 72 hours leading up to the crash on Sunday, August 17, 2025, Erunkulu had been behind the wheel for a staggering 53 hours. His rest periods were dangerously fragmented; his longest stretch of sleep was a mere seven hours, while other breaks lasted only between two and four hours. In the final 12-hour stretch preceding the collision, he worked continuously as a taxi driver, ignoring his body's physiological demands for rest.

Chilling in-car CCTV footage played during the trial laid bare the mechanics of the tragedy. The camera captured Erunkulu experiencing what investigators termed a "microsleep"—a brief, involuntary episode of sleep lasting only a few seconds. During this momentary lapse in consciousness, his vehicle crossed into the roadside layby where Dray was opening his Volkswagen door. The impact was instant and fatal. Visibly disoriented, Erunkulu continued driving for another 10 seconds before finally stopping in a secondary layby.