A WOMAN who crashed into the back of a truck after falling asleep at the wheel has avoided conviction.
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The 25-year-old appeared in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court this week where she pleaded guilty to charges including careless driving.
The court heard on April 4 last year, the woman was caught driving with a suspended licence in Malmsbury.
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She told officers she was trying to drive to a Bendigo hospital for help with her mental health.
On April 29, police observed the same woman veering between lanes of traffic on the Princes Highway near Rosedale, in the state's east.
About 7.20am, the woman crashed into the back of a parked truck.
She underwent a preliminary breath test, which showed there was no alcohol in her system.
An oral fluid test showed she was under the influence of methamphetamine.
The woman told police she had been awake for hours and had fallen asleep at the wheel.
She also told officers she had not taken any drugs, although her friends had been using methamphetamine when she was with them the night prior.
Defence lawyer Rebecca Healy told the court the woman had significant mental health issues around the time of the offending.
Ms Healy said her client was not thinking rationally and made poor decisions with her driving.
Magistrate Patrick Southey said given the challenges the woman faced in 2020, a community corrections order would be a more appropriate sentence than a fine.
The woman was given a 12-month community corrections order without conviction.
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