Skip to main content

To sleep, perchance to dream

Police in Sweden had to deal with a rather tricky individual recently who was attempting to hibernate in his car. The man had been found a few hours earlier by two snowmobile drivers. Seeing the snow-covered Jeep Cherokee, the snowmobilers were concerned that someone had crashed and was trapped inside. The car did not contain any drink or drugs and the man spoke coherently with the snowmobilers but they were concerned at his condition as well as the overpowering smell from inside the vehicle, and contacted
June 13, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Police in Sweden had to deal with a rather tricky individual recently who was attempting to hibernate in his car. The man had been found a few hours earlier by two snowmobile drivers. Seeing the snow-covered Jeep Cherokee, the snowmobilers were concerned that someone had crashed and was trapped inside. The car did not contain any drink or drugs and the man spoke coherently with the snowmobilers but they were concerned at his condition as well as the overpowering smell from inside the vehicle, and contacted the local police. On arriving at the scene the police managed to talk to the man, who was both dehydrated and emaciated, and managed to convince him that he needed medical attention in hospital. The driver had parked deliberately away from any main road and down a forest track and told police that he wished to hibernate for the winter. He had equipped his vehicle with items including cooking utensils, a spare battery, kitchen towels, a cool-box to store food, a flask and a sleeping bag, as well as ensuring he had plenty of cigarettes.

Related Content

  • Kosovo's award-winning green highway construction
    March 20, 2012
    A new highway is proving an economic lifeline for the tiny country of Kosovo – Mike Woof reports. Road projects in Europe rarely meet such widespread public approval and support as the new Route 7 highway being built in the new Balkan state of Kosovo. The first sections of the new road opened to traffic in November 2011, with locals turning out in large numbers to celebrate the event. The official opening was carried out by the country’s prime minister Hashim Thaçi, president Atifete Jahjaga, and members of
  • New international trade crossing linking Canada and US
    June 9, 2015
    The Detroit River is short, only 45km, and narrow in places, less than 1km. Around a quarter of the annual $658 billion Canada-US trade crosses over the river. That’s $160 billion worth of goods trucked each year between Detroit in the US state of Michigan and the Canadian city of Windsor in the province of Ontario - the Windsor-Detroit Corridor. There are several types of crossings, but the vast majority of commercial traffic must use the 2.3km Ambassador Bridge (see box). A new bridge was initially prop
  • New EU-Russian highway connection
    February 18, 2013
    Among the forests and lakes of Finland, one of Europe's newest motorway links is being built as a Green highway linking Europe to Russia - Adrian Greeman reports The road eastwards from Finland's capital Helsinki, along the north coast of the Gulf of Finland, has not carried heavy traffic volumes, at least until recent times. Highway seven as it is designated locally, or E18 in European nomenclature, is partly motorway but in some sections still dual carriageway or even just a single lane each way, finishin
  • A history lesson in private public partnerships
    April 12, 2012
    Michel Démarre gives some historical insights into public-private partnerships conceived to implement urban infrastructure projects, a concept that surprisingly dates back to as early as the 13th century! All over the world today, the role of public authorities in the process of planning and, in most cases, designing, financing and procuring urban roads is paramount. Even for modifications to existing roads, decisions are made by these public authorities (usually after due consultation with the population)