WATCH: Truck Driver Asleep at Wheel for Nearly Two Minutes Before Highway Crash in Zimbabwe

Dashcam footage from a commercial truck near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, documents a driver falling asleep at the wheel for almost two minutes, causing the vehicle to drift across lanes on a main highway before crashing off the road. The GPS data embedded in the recording indicates the incident occurred on a primary roadway in the region, though the precise spot remains unverified.

The sequence captured by the in-cab dashcam starts with the driver dozing off while the truck maintains highway speed. Over the next nearly two minutes, the vehicle gradually veers out of its lane, crossing into oncoming traffic paths without immediate impact. During this period, the truck passes two oncoming trucks and one additional car, avoiding contact with all three.

The truck's built-in alert system activates repeatedly throughout the episode, emitting audible warnings instructing the driver to pull over and rest. These notifications sound multiple times, but the driver does not respond fully. At one point in the footage, the driver opens his eyes briefly, likely in reaction to the alerts or the road deviation, before closing them again and resuming sleep.

As the drift continues unchecked, the truck leaves the paved highway surface entirely. The vehicle then collides with off-road terrain, bringing it to a stop after the impact. No other vehicles sustain damage or involvement in the crash, confirming that the earlier passes by the two trucks and the car resulted in no collisions.

The dashcam provides a continuous internal view of the cab, showing the driver's head dropping forward and the steering wheel unattended during the lapse. The truck operates as a standard heavy commercial model equipped with the dashcam and fatigue-monitoring alert system, which functions as intended by issuing the warnings.

No details emerge regarding injuries to the driver or any bystanders, as the footage concludes with the crash and lacks follow-up information. The driver's identity, employment affiliation, or any post-incident measures, such as medical evaluations or licensing assessments, are not specified in the recording.

This event underscores documented risks of fatigue in long-haul trucking operations, where extended driving periods without breaks contribute to such lapses. The highway near Bulawayo functions as a key transport route, handling significant commercial traffic daily.

The footage's release has generated online exchanges focused on drowsy driving prevention and the effectiveness of in-vehicle safety features in real-world scenarios.

The full two-minute timeline in the dashcam recording illustrates the progression from initial drowsiness to full deviation and final impact, serving as a record of the incident's mechanics without external variables like weather or mechanical failure noted.