A man high on amphetamine was found slumped and asleep at the wheel of his mother's mobility car.
Bryan Johnson was spotted by members of the public sat in the vehicle, which had its lights, on the side of a road in Tynemouth.
After they failed to rouse the 37-year-old, the police were called and officers soon arrived at the scene, a court heard.
Johnson did wake up and was arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants.
However, having passed a subsequent breath test for alcohol, he refused to allow a blood sample to be taken for analysis for drugs, claiming he was "frightened of needles".
And now, having conceded he'd taken amphetamine after an amount of the drug was found in the car, Johnson, of Collingwood Avenue, North Shields, has narrowly avoided being banned from the roads.
He appeared before magistrates in North Tyneside to plead guilty to one count of failing to provide a specimen while being in charge of a vehicle and one of possession of a class B drug.
Rehana Haque, prosecuting, said officers received a call from a member of public on February 7 this year.
"They received information that a man was parked up in a vehicle slumped over the steering wheel with the lights on," Mrs Haque added.
"Members of the public knocked on the window but received no response. The officers attended and approached the vehicle.
"It was parked half on the road and half on the pavement. They saw the defendant who appeared to be slouched over the centre console."
Johnson, who has 104 offences on his record, woke up but gave the police a false name before he was arrested and taken to a police station, where he provided a negative test for alcohol but refused to give the blood sample.
In interview, he claimed he hadn't driven his mother's car but had found it parked up and, knowing he had keys, decided to sleep-off the drugs inside.
Mark Harrison, mitigating, said Johnson had taken drugs but there was no evidence he had actually driven the car.
Mr Harrison said: "Mr Johnson was on his way home. He was some distance from where he was living. He saw the car and got in and fell asleep."
The solicitor added: "My Johnson has a fear of needles born out of fairly bad experiences when he used to inject drugs."
Johnson also pleaded guilty to a separate criminal damage offence, which involved him damaging a door frame at supported living accommodation in North Shields.
He was fined £180 and ordered to pay £100 compensation, £85 costs and a £34 victim surcharge.
He was also given 10 penalty points.
