Drivers ‘fell asleep’ on fatal Croydon line where tram derailed and killed seven
FOUR drivers have admitted they fell asleep while driving a tram through Croydon - the spot where seven people were killed in a derailment last year.
At least three trams have also been caught speeding on the same line since the derailment, including one incident near the fatal crash site that killed more than half a dozen people and left more than 50 people injured.
that driver fatigue was tackled with a safety device - known as "a dead man's handle"- but there were concerns that at times, it had not been activated.
But concerns were flagged that drivers were unwilling to raise any issues with the handle, because that would mean they would have to admit they had fallen asleep while driving.
The device works by sensing at least 1.5lb of pressure, allowing the tram to accelerate.
If the pressure decreases, the safety device should be activated - setting off an alarming as well as applying an emergency brake.
But drivers said that the device did not always work.
Retired tram driver Konrad Turner admitted he fell asleep at the wheel, with it lucky that no one had been hurt when the safety device failed to work.
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There is no suggestion that the system was responsible for the derailment in November last year.
The Sun last year revealed footage of a driver falling asleep at the wheel, doing 40mph on the same track as the Croydon disaster.
The derailment caused shockwaves through Britain when the two-car vehicle toppled over as it went into a tunnel near the Sandilands tram stop, near East Croydon.
The driver, Alfred Dorris, was arrested by police on suspicion of manslaughter and bailed until May.
He was suspended from driving over the incident, which took place during the early morning rush hour on November 9.
An interim report found that the tram was speeding at 43.5 mph in a 12 mph zone when it overturned.
A later report revealed the driver had "lost awareness" in the seconds before the crash.
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