Watch the moment drunk driver narrowly avoids 'fatal crash' driving on wrong side of M1 motorway

This is the shocking moment a drunk driver narrowly avoided a head-on collision after swerving onto the wrong side of the motorway. The motorist, who is in his 30s, was more than three times over the legal alcohol limit when he headed down the M1 at 2.45am into the path of oncoming traffic.

Frightening CCTV revealed how lorries had thundered past him as he made his way down the inside lane of the road, near Sheffield on 9 March - NationalWorld’s sister title The Star has further coverage of the incident.

Police received ‘numerous calls’ about the driver - who was first spotted near Junction 35A - with several motorists forced to take evasive action to avoid crashes. Traffic cameras later showed how the car had travelled on the wrong side of the motorway for two junctions before finally leaving the carriageway.

The driver was stopped by officers and breathalysed. He blew 125 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, with the legal limit being 35. He was then arrested on suspicion of driving while over the prescribed limit of alcohol and dangerous driving and remains on police bail.

Roads Policing Inspector Matt Collings, from South Yorkshire Police, said the driver had been lucky not to cause a “fatal collision”. He said: “This sequence of driving could have had catastrophic consequences and caused a fatal collision as poor judgment meant the vehicle’s erratic driving continued for two junctions.

“Alcohol seriously affects your judgement and reaction time, and you are four times more likely to be involved in a collision if you are under the influence of alcohol. Stopping those who pose a risk on our roads is daily business for officers across South Yorkshire.”