Drunk Driver Falls Asleep at Traffic Light, Rams Police Car After Being Awakened

A driver who fell asleep behind the wheel in broad daylight while heavily intoxicated and then rammed a patrol car when police tried to wake him has been sentenced to prison.

According to legal circles, Judge Byun Sung-hwan of Criminal Division 4 at the Busan District Court sentenced a man in his 40s, surnamed A, to one year in prison on charges including violations of the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving and driving without a license) and the Automobile Management Act.

A was indicted for driving a Lincoln sedan without a license while under the influence of alcohol for about 300 meters in Yeonje-gu, Busan, at around 11:52 a.m. on July 22, 2023.

At the time, his blood alcohol concentration was 0.227%, well above the license revocation threshold of 0.08%.

A had fallen asleep inside his vehicle while waiting for a traffic light in the first lane of a road heading toward the Yeonsan Intersection.

After receiving a report to 112 from a citizen who witnessed the scene, police officers arrived and knocked on the driver's side window to wake him, prompting A to suddenly drive forward.

During this process, A's vehicle struck the bumper of a patrol car belonging to the Yeonil Precinct of the Yeonje Police Station, causing approximately 1.06 million won in repair costs.

The vehicle A was driving had its registration revoked ex officio in April 2019 and was not insured under mandatory automobile insurance.

A also had a previous criminal record of being punished for drunk driving with fines of 1 million won in 2015 and 4 million won in 2019.

Furthermore, a ruling was finalized in October 2023—following the current offense—sentencing him to one year in prison with two years of probation for a separate drunk driving case.

Judge Byun stated, "When the police arrived and woke the defendant, he suddenly accelerated and crashed into the police car, causing damage. As the road was congested at the time, it could easily have led to a major accident." The judge added, "Considering that A has three prior records of punishment for drunk driving, strict punishment is inevitable."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.