Fine for man who fell asleep while driving and hit taxi

A man driving a van felt sleepy and nodded off at the wheel, causing his vehicle to hit a taxi.

Cabby Glenn Chandra Moghan Kumaran, 45, went to Sengkang General Hospital the next day, and he was found to have injuries that included tenderness over his right wrist and lower back pain.

The accident may have also aggravated his existing cervical spondylosis - a general degeneration of the spine.

The van driver, Neo Teck Han, was given a maximum fine of $2,500 yesterday after pleading guilty to causing hurt to Mr Glenn by driving in a negligent manner.

The 55-year-old Singaporean was also disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for a year.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Mark Yeo said that Neo was driving a van along the third lane of Lower Delta Road at around 2.30pm on May 3 last year when he felt sleepy and dozed off.

As a result, he failed to keep proper control of his vehicle and it veered towards the left before hitting the rear of Mr Glenn's taxi.

The court heard that shortly before the accident, the cabby had stopped his taxi at a bus stop near Teresa Ville condominium and switched on its hazard lights to indicate that it was stationary.

It was not mentioned why he had stopped the taxi there.

After his van hit the taxi, Neo got out of his vehicle and alerted the police.

The DPP said that at the time of the accident, the weather was fine, the road surface was dry, visibility was clear and traffic flow was moderate.

Mr Glenn was given 14 days of medical leave.

For causing hurt by negligent driving, an offender can be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $2,500.