SINGAPORE, Dec 21 — It was a late-night lapse made worse by geography.

A 36-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of Saturday after his van was found stationary along Paya Lebar Road — just 450 metres from Singapore’s Traffic Police headquarters — with the driver apparently having nodded off inside.

The incident happened at about 12.25am, in what Singapore-based media organisation AsiaOne described as an awkwardly close brush with the authorities. 

A member of the public alerted police after spotting the van stopped just before the junction of Ubi Avenue 2, sitting in the second leftmost lane.

By the time AsiaOne passed the scene at around 1.40am, the quiet stretch of road had filled up with enforcement vehicles: at least two police fast response cars, two Traffic Police outriders and a Traffic Police expressway patrol car were present.

Responding to queries from AsiaOne, police confirmed they had received a call for assistance involving a stationary van along Paya Lebar Road.

“A 36-year-old male van driver was arrested for drink driving. No injuries were reported,” police said, adding that investigations are ongoing.

No one was hurt, but the irony was hard to miss: a suspected drink-driving case unfolding practically on the doorstep of Traffic Police HQ. 

It also comes as drink-driving arrests continue to climb in Singapore. Traffic Police figures show cases rose from 818 in the first half of 2024 to 862 in 2025.

The penalties are steep. In Singapore, motorists convicted of drink driving can be fined between S$2,000 (RM6,300) and S$10,000, jailed for up to 12 months, or both. 

Leaving a vehicle in a way that causes undue inconvenience to others can also draw fines of up to S$2,000, a jail term of up to three months, or both.