Don't wear an N95 mask and drive alone ... that's the message New Jersey police are sending after a driver passed out while wearing COVID-19 protection and crashed.
Here's the deal ... a Jersey motorist crashed head-on into a pole Thursday, and cops say the driver passed out behind the wheel while wearing an N95 mask after several hours on the road.
Police say the N95 mask could have caused the driver to experience "insufficient oxygen intake/excessive carbon dioxide intake," but they say they don't know the cause of the crash with 100% certainty.
While cops say Jersey residents should keep following Governor Phil Murphy's guidelines for covering faces in public, and they don't want to cause a panic or suggest the N95 mask is unsafe, police say wearing an N95 mask while driving solo is "unnecessary."
Lots of health care professionals have urged us all to reserve N95 masks for healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. There are other options for the rest of us.
The good news ... cops say the driver's injuries are non-life threatening.