Officers responded to several triple-0 calls after the man’s car was seen veering between each side of the highway and travelling in the emergency lane about 9.50am. 

The 41-year-old Porepunkah man crashed the Holden utility into a safety barrier at Creightons Creek, south of Benalla, at 110km/h, and police said he had been lucky to avoid hitting other cars. 

“He said he was dead tired and had been driving for 12 hours, and he continued driving even though he knew he was fatigued,” Leading Senior Constable Marc Newton said. 

“He almost sideswiped a minivan which had four children inside. 

“He was also seen on his mobile phone.” 

The man refused treatment from paramedics and declined to go to hospital, and police struggled to move the man from the road. 

He had been travelling northbound to Porepunkah when he crashed and is facing several driving charges as well as a charge of hindering police. 

“If you feel tired, pull over where it’s safe and have a rest,” Senior Constable Newton said. 

“If you feel tired and continue to drive, you display a gross degree of negligence if you have an accident and injure or kill someone.

“He went from the right hand side of the road all the way to the left, he almost hit cars and he was on his phone, which all builds the argument that he’s driving in a dangerous manner. 

“He’s lucky he hasn’t had collision.” 

Drivers who have been awake for 24 hours have a driving performance similar to someone with a blood alcohol reading of 0.1. 

Police also intercepted a probationary drink-driver who was speeding at Everton yesterday. 

The Myrtleford man, in his early 20s, told police he had been drinking with friends on Saturday night. 

He was stopped on the Great Alpine Road about 11.30am yesterday after being seen speeding and returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.078. 

His licence was cancelled for six months.