'Just doing what any ordinary person would': Man helps police nab suspected drink driver along CTE

SINGAPORE - The motorist who alerted the police last week about another driver suspected of drink driving on the Central Expressway (CTE), has been hailed by netizens as a "hero". But he said he was only "doing what any ordinary person would".

"My intentions were simple - I just wanted to avoid a car accident," said the motorist, 27, who only wanted to be known as Mr Nick, on Monday (Oct 14).

The 51-year-old suspect was arrested by police for drink driving on Oct 8 after Mr Nick informed them about the matter.

The police said they were alerted to the dangerous driving case earlier on the same day at 12.12am, which happened on the CTE towards Woodlands.

In a video posted on the Roads.sg Facebook page, a car, presumably driven by the suspected drink driver, is seen moving erratically on the road and swerving from lane to lane. In several instances, the car nearly collides with other vehicles on the road.

Mr Nick, who recorded the incident with his in-vehicle camera, said he followed the driver for about 20 minutes.

He told Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao on Monday that he was entering the CTE from Balestier Road when the car seen in the video nearly crashed into his own car.

Mr Nick then decided to follow the car and record what transpired.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv4FtOGL7jo[/embed]

They eventually arrived in Sengkang where the driver of the car in the clip was also accused of other traffic violations.

At one traffic junction, the car did not move when the light turned green. Mr Nick said he got out of his car and walked over to check on the driver and said he was greeted by the smell of alcohol when opening the car door.

"He said he was not drinking," said Mr Nick. "He later shouted at me to shut the door and then drove off."

Mr Nick followed the driver until they arrived at a carpark in a Sengkang housing estate, then waited for the police to arrive before he left.

"He should have asked a friend to drive him or just taken a cab home," said Mr Nick of the man. "Drink driving is very dangerous."

The police said they are investigating the case.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.