Florida man jailed for DUI crash that killed wife as they had sex at the wheel

A man who crashed his car and killed his wife while having sex with her at the wheel has been sentenced to five years in prison in Florida, United States.

Matthew Notebaert was driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol when he started having sex with his wife Amanda on 8 March 2014. While she sat on his lap, he drove their SUV into a canal at such speed that his wife died at the scene.

Handing Notebaert the five-year prison sentence, Palm Beach County judge Laura Johnson said it was one of "the most senseless and tragic acts" she had ever come across and that he had "failed" his wife, children and his entire family. The couple have two children together, a son aged 12 and a daughter aged three.

The father-of-two wept in court, telling the judge that he missed his wife "more than words can express." Notebaert told the court that the night of the fatal crash he and his wife had attended a concert, their first night out since the birth of their second child. The couple became intimate on their way home, with Notebaert still driving the car.

He drove the car at a speed of 55mph in a 30mph speed zone and missed three signs warning of a canal ahead. The impact of the crash was so strong that the SUV flew for 30 feet before smashing into the opposite bank. A toxicology report revealed that Notebaert's blood alcohol limit was nearly twice the legal blood alcohol content limit of 0.08%.

Notebaert pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving charges. He had previously been convicted for cocaine possession and burglary.

One in six people in the US admitted to having sex at the wheel in 2016, according to a survey carried out by technology company Drivemode.