17 to be charged with drink driving, two face additional charges after falling asleep in car

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SINGAPORE – Two men will be charged in court on Aug 28 after allegedly drink driving and falling asleep behind the wheel, posing a danger to other road users as they obstructed roads with their stationary cars.

They are among 17 motorists who will face charges the same day over drink-driving offences, the police said on Aug 27.

Aged between 27 and 48, the motorists were arrested after they failed breathalyser tests during enforcement checks conducted from June to August.

The two men who fell asleep in their cars face an additional charge each for leaving their vehicles in a position that caused undue inconvenience to others.

The 30-year-old and 35-year-old had allegedly done so in Rangoon Road and Tampines Avenue 5, respectively, and their actions “obstructed and potentially caused danger to other road users”.

If convicted of drink driving, the motorists can be fined between $2,000 and $10,000, jailed for up to 12 months or both.

Repeat offenders can be fined between $5,000 and $20,000 and jailed for up to two years. They may also be barred from driving all classes of vehicles.

The two men facing additional charges can be fined up to $2,000, jailed for up to three months or both if they are convicted of leaving their vehicles in a position causing undue inconvenience to others.

If it is their second or subsequent conviction, they can be fined up to $5,000, jailed for up to six months or both.

Stressing that driving under the influence is “an extremely dangerous and irresponsible act”, the police said they would not hesitate to take action against those who drink and drive.

According to police statistics, there were

1,778 drink-driving arrests in 2024

, a 6.9 per cent increase from 2023.

While the number of drink driving-related accidents dropped from 180 to 166 in the same period, the number of fatal accidents linked to drink driving increased from 11 in 2023 to 12 in 2024.

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