Driver appears dazed & holding vape at Punggol traffic intersection, suspected of using Kpods

UPDATE on Nov. 10, 10:25am: The article has been updated with HSA's statement.

A driver was found disoriented and holding a vape after his car suddenly came to a halt in the middle of an intersection along Punggol Way near Samudera LRT station.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident reportedly occurred at around 9pm on Nov. 5, and drew the attention of several members of the public, who initially thought the driver was experiencing a medical emergency.

Noticed the vehicle in front moving unusually

A 54-year-old driver, surnamed Xu (transliteration), told Shin Min that he and his son were on their way home after a workout when they noticed the car in front of them moving at an unusually slow pace and braking repeatedly.

"The car eventually stopped at the intersection," Xu said. "We thought he might be having a heart attack, so we got out to help."

However, when Xu approached the vehicle, he saw that the driver appeared dazed and was holding a vape in his hand.

"We tried asking him to open the window and door, but he appeared disoriented, vaping while staring at us," Xu recalled. "It was as if he couldn’t control himself."

Suspected that the driver was using Kpods

Xu and other bystanders suspected that the driver was under the influence of Kpods, which are vape products laced with etomidate, Shin Min reported.

He added that they quickly intervened to ensure that the driver did not drive off, potentially preventing an accident from occurring.

"If he had really been vaping and driving at a high speed, he could have caused an accident and endangered others," Xu said.

Initially thought the driver suffered a heart attack

According to Shin Min, another driver and a motorcyclist also stopped to help.

Initially, everyone thought the driver was suffering from a heart attack, only to realise that it was something else entirely after peering into the car.

Xu added that fortunately, one of the bystanders managed to persuade the driver to switch off his car engine and step out of the vehicle.

They then brought the driver to the side of the road to rest, while Xu's son contacted the police.

According to Xu, police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers arrived at the scene about five minutes later.

"Paramedics took a blood sample from the driver at the scene, and we left after provided our statements," he said.

The police and SCDF have since referred the case to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for further investigation.

In response to Mothership's queries, a HSA spokesperson confirmed that they received a case referral from the police regarding an e-vaporiser that was allegedly found with a driver at Punggol Way on Nov. 5.

Investigations are currently ongoing.

Driver was trembling and muttering to himself

Xu described the driver as a Chinese man in his 30s, dressed in a black T-shirt and shorts.

A three-minute video shared with Shin Min showed the man appearing dazed and confused inside a white sedan, gripping onto a vape and trembling as members of the public knocked on his car window and called out to him.

Xu said that the driver was also muttering to himself, but because of the window, they were unable to hear what he was saying and could only urge him to open the door.

The footage later showed the driver taking one last drag from the vape before turning off the engine, unlocking the door and stepping out of the car.

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News