Sen. John Fetterman has a history of unsafe driving, The Washington Post reported Thursday, raising additional questions about the Pennsylvania Democrat’s driving habits in the wake of a car crash he was involved in over the weekend.
The incident on Sunday morning was described as a “garden variety car accident” by Fetterman’s office on Tuesday, with a spokesperson saying the senator and his wife Gisele, as well as the other driver involved, were transported to a local hospital “out of an abundance of caution.”
But a police report obtained by CNN said Fetterman was driving at a “high rate of speed, well over the posted speed limit,” and that his 2021 Chevrolet Traverse had to be towed from the scene due to “disabling damage.”
Asked about the disparity between his office’s response and the official report, Fetterman declined to comment to CNN on Thursday beyond a statement he gave the Post in which he pledged to drive more carefully in the future.
Fetterman, according to the Post’s report, has received two speeding tickets in Pennsylvania: one in 2016 and one in March, for which he was required by the state to complete a driver’s improvement course, a person familiar with the matter told the Post.
Citing anonymous sources with knowledge of staff discussions, the Post reported that Fetterman has a habit of using his phone to text and video call while driving. The behavior has made some members of his staff afraid to ride with him if he is behind the wheel and recently gave rise to an “informal practice” that aides should not be in the car if Fetterman is driving, according to the report.
The senator’s spokesman told The Washington Post that the accounts of his driving were “gossip and inaccurate.”
The crash occurred Sunday morning in Maryland, according to the police report. Fetterman’s vehicle rear-ended a Chevrolet Impala, which was being driven by a 62-year-old woman. Both vehicles were towed.
In his statement to the Post, Fetterman called Sunday’s accident “unfortunate” and said he was “relieved and grateful that there were no serious injuries.”
“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,” he told the Post.
CNN’s Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
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