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

  • Golden route to success
    July 20, 2012
    Built in 1937 and still the ninth longest suspension bridge in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge across San Francisco Bay remains in fine shape despite its age - Andrew Bardin Williams writes The Golden Gate Bridge turned 75 years old on May 27 and continues to play a key role in the transportation, engineering, construction and ITS communities. The structure has played an important historical role, an engineering success that boosted the economy of the region. And it also led the way as the first major pub
  • New developments in bitumen technology
    November 30, 2020
    From softwood in Sweden to rubber and rubble in Australia - Kristina Smith reports on new technologies which could shape tomorrow’s asphalt mixes
  • Highways England to get Romaquip gritters
    December 4, 2020
    Gritters will help ensure routes to Covid-19 test centres are kept open.
  • The hands-free debate is just one side of driver distraction
    August 13, 2019
    A debate about hands-free and hand-held phone use is welcome, but if we want to improve road safety and stop killing people it misses the point, explains Shaun Helman, TRL's chief scientist The Transport Committee’s report on driving and mobile phones is to be welcomed, for focusing attention on a pressing and growing road safety issue. As someone who provided evidence to the committee, I don’t need convincing that the use of a mobile device while controlling a vehicle is something that must be considered