Sen. John Fetterman’s unsafe driving habits are so alarming that some of his staffers are afraid to get in a car with him when he’s behind the wheel, according to a report.
The Pennsylvania Democrat was cited for extreme speeding at least twice before he plowed into the back of a 62-year-old woman’s vehicle on Sunday, an accident that sent him, his wife Gisele and other driver to the hospital, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
Fetterman, 54, has also been known to FaceTime and text while driving, behavior that has prompted his staff to implement “an informal practice” of not being in the car with him when he’s driving, for fear of their safety, according to the outlet.
“It’s not safe,” a person familiar with the first-term senator’s driving said.
Fetterman’s aides don’t dare send him messages when they know his driving because they worry he will try to respond, other sources familiar told the outlet.
Fetterman was determined to be “at fault” in the weekend crash on I-70 in Maryland, a state police report showed.
It is “unknown” if the senator was distracted at the time of the crash, according to the report, but Maryland State Police noted the driver he collided with was “not distracted.”
The senator’s Chevrolet Traverse was traveling “at a high rate of speed, well over the posted speed limit” of 70 mph in the moments before he rear-ended the other driver’s Chevrolet Impala, a witness told authorities.
Fetterman pleaded guilty in March to driving 34 mph over the speed limit in Westmoreland County, near Pittsburgh, the Washington Post found.
His violation in that case was so severe that it required him to attend Driver Improvement School.
His March ticket followed a 2016 speeding citation for driving 24 mph over the limit in Warren County, in northwestern Pennsylvania, according to the outlet.
Both vehicles in Sunday’s accident suffered “disabling damage” and were towed from the scene, according to the police report.
Photos of Fetterman’s SUV after the wreck showed that it sustained substantial front-end damage.
The senator’s office did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
A spokesperson for Fetterman told The Washington Post that accounts about his driving habits are “gossip and inaccurate.”
“This was an unfortunate accident on Sunday and I’m relieved and grateful that there were no serious injuries,” Fetterman told the outlet.
“I’ve been driving for almost 40 years, and I’ve gotten a small handful of tickets. When I sped, I was held accountable. I need to do better and do it slower — and I will.”
