Man Drives Off Bridge Into Canal 10 Minutes After Passing Drivers Test in China

(Illustration - Hezy Iqa/Shutterstock)

In China, a brand-new driver had barely gotten his hands on his new license, literally, when he fell victim to the perils of distracted driving and sent his car off the side of a dock and into a river.

According to reports, a man only identified as “Mr. Zhang” had just left his driver’s test with his brand-new license and gotten into his car to officially drive home. He admitted later that he decided to check his texts, reading through all of the congratulatory messages he was getting—but ended up so focused on his phone that he drove right off the side of the road and into a canal.

It took Zhang about 10 minutes after getting his license for calamity to fall his way.

“While I was driving, I tried to grab my phone and read some messages while two people were in front of me on the bridge,” Zhang said. “I became nervous and turned left suddenly.”

Of course, any driver who swerves is at risk of befalling some harm. Often, simply slamming on the brakes and stopping is recommended rather than causing some other hazard on the other side. This inexperienced driver’s unfortunate location left him with nowhere to go but off the edge and right into the water.

(Illustration - Billion Photos/Shutterstock)

Fortunately, he wasn’t trapped in his less-than-ideal situation for long. Although the car could have sunk and potentially left him struggling to get back to the surface, the compact sedan stayed afloat long enough for a rescue crew to come and extract the car—and Zhang inside of it—to be deposited safely on dry land.

The incident seems almost comical in nature, but it truly does highlight just why it’s better to put the phones away and keep your eyes on the road while driving behind the wheel. And as for Zhang, the rattled new driver declined to mention what exactly his punishment was for the distracted driving—but in China, drivers who succumb to this kind of fate don’t always get to walk away without answering for the transgression. This particular infraction, texting while driving, can come with a $25 fine and two docked points on a license—not a good way to start off Zhang’s driving record.

It’s obviously fantastic news that he’s okay. Hopefully his fiasco will serve as a cautionary tale to others who might feel the compulsion to grab their phone whenever they get a message mid-route. It’s better to keep the phones tucked away until you’ve safely come to a stop—and to focus on the roads ahead of you while trying to get where you’re going, instead.