Two men charged with drink driving, falling asleep behind the wheel in Geylang, Nicoll Highway

SINGAPORE - Two men who allegedly drove drunk and fell asleep behind the wheel of their vehicles were hauled to court on Aug 20.

Marcus Liew Zhu Lin, 28, and Vora Dainik Narshibhai, 35, were each handed one drink driving charge and another charge for leaving a vehicle in a position that caused undue inconvenience to others.

According to charge sheets, Liew drove a van on July 26 at around 3am with at least 59 micrograms (mcg) of alcohol in 100ml of breath, exceeding the prescribed limit of 35mcg.

He also left his van stationary on lane three of a four-lane road along Lorong 1 Geylang, likely causing inconvenience to other road users.

Liew was convicted and fined $4,600 on Aug 20. He was also handed a 30-month driving disqualification.

Meanwhile, Vora was accused of driving along Nicoll Highway after midnight on July 12 with at least 59mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

At around 1.30am that day, Vora allegedly stopped the car along Nicoll Highway, towards Guillemard Road, which was likely to cause inconvenience to other road users.

Vora’s case will be heard again on Oct 15.

Liew and Vora were among 31 motorists charged with drink driving offences on Aug 20.

In a statement on Aug 19, the police said the motorists, aged between 24 and 61, were arrested between May and July after failing breathalyser tests during enforcement checks.

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

Those convicted of leaving a vehicle in a position causing undue inconvenience to others can be fined up to $2,000, jailed for up to three months, or both.

The police said in the statement that driving under the influence of alcohol is an extremely dangerous and irresponsible act, and they will not hesitate to take firm action against motorists who drink and drive.

On Aug 4, Parliament passed new traffic laws that slashed the alcohol limits for drivers by more than half, from 35mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath to 15mcg per 100ml of breath.

The blood alcohol limit of 80 milligrams (mg) of alcohol per 100ml will be lowered to 30mg per 100ml.

This will make it easier to convict drink drivers and brings Singapore’s prescribed alcohol limits, which have been in force since 1985, in line with jurisdictions such as Japan and South Korea.

Nadine Chua is a correspondent covering crime and court at The Straits Times.