He'd downed at least eight alcoholic ciders the night before, then guzzled two more when he woke up just after dawn.

He was in no fit state to be making decisions, let alone trying to operate a vehicle weighing the best part of two tonnes.

But that's exactly what Simpson did that morning, and in a Port Kembla courtroom on Friday he paid for that poor decision with his freedom.

Magistrate Geraldine Beattie handed Simpson a full-time jail sentence for his crime, saying his actions that day, which landed him and two others in hospital, were highly dangerous.

The court heard Simpson had not travelled more than a few metres from home in Ronald Street, Corrimal, when he failed to negotiate a right-hand turn onto Rothery Street, mounted the kerb and ran over a speed sign post.

Despite the close call, Simpson continued driving along Rothery Street, cruising down the incorrect side of the roadway towards the Memorial Drive intersection.

Just metres from the intersection Simpson's vehicle side-swiped a Toyota Camry waiting at traffic lights, before he proceeded to drive through the red light and into the intersection, where his vehicle crashed into an Alfa Romeo travelling south.

The impact caused Simpson's car to spin into a Holden Captiva also stationed at the traffic lights.

The Captiva was shunted back into a Mitsubishi Lancer waiting behind it.

Several witnesses came to the aid of the Alfa Romeo driver, who was trapped in the vehicle.

Simpson, along with the Alfa Romeo and Holden Captiva drivers, were taken to hospital for treatment and observation.

Simpson admitted his drinking to police, going on to recount to them what had happened.

"I came out of a cross street and turned right down towards the beach [and] the bloody car just took off," he said.

"I drove up the driveway and onto the kerb. I hit a car and went through the intersection between two cars.

"I locked it up and spun around and it [the car] stopped."

He was charged with high range drink-driving after a blood analysis revealed a blood-alcohol reading of 0.179, more than three times the legal limit.

In court on Friday, Magistrate Beattie said all the evidence clearly pointed to Simpson having a significant problem with alcohol.

She noted that Simpson had even turned up highly intoxicated to a court-ordered pre-sentencing meeting with Community Corrections staff.

He was sentenced to 12 months' jail with a non-parole period of five months.