HSA investigating man found with vape, driving erratically along Punggol Way
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The man, who was driving a white sedan, later stopped the vehicle at an intersection along Punggol Way near Samudera LRT station.
PHOTOS: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
Follow topic:
- A man driving erratically in Punggol is being investigated by the Health Sciences Authority after a vape was allegedly found on him.
- Several recent incidents involve drivers arrested for drug-related offences with vapes found in their vehicles, highlighting a growing trend.
- Stricter measures since Sept 1 have led to 1,929 vape offenders caught, with 167 being etomidate abusers, some placed in rehab.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – A man who was seen driving erratically along Punggol Way on Nov 5 was allegedly vaping while at the wheel.
The man, who was driving a white sedan, later stopped the vehicle at an intersection along Punggol Way near Samudera LRT station.
A spokesperson for the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said it received a case referral from the police regarding the e-vaporiser found on the driver. Investigations are ongoing.
An eyewitness, Mr Xu, 54, told Shin Min Daily News that he was driving along Punggol Way with his son when they spotted the car moving very slowly and braking repeatedly.
He said: “I thought the driver might be unwell, so I decided to stop and check.”
Mr Xu said the driver appeared dazed and was puffing on a vape.
“We tried asking him to wind down the window and open the door, but he just stared blankly at us,” he said.
This incident is the latest involving drivers allegedly caught with vapes.
On Sept 30, a 36-year-old driver was arrested for driving under the influence of intoxicating substances after he was involved in an accident outside Khatib Polyclinic
On Sept 22, ST reported that a 25-year-old man was arrested for driving while under the influence of intoxicating substances
On Sept 5, a 54-year-old driver was arrested for driving while under the influence of intoxicating substances after a hit-and-run accident at Block 301 Bukit Batok Street 31
On Aug 30, an accident near a petrol kiosk at Hougang Avenue 2 just after midnight saw two drivers arrested over drug-related offences
One of them, a 28-year-old man, had a bag of vapes in his vehicle. Police found a plastic bag containing a crystal-like substance in the other driver’s car.
In July, the HSA said etomidate was detected in the blood samples
Over 1,900 vapers caught
In a joint statement on Nov 7, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and HSA said a total of 1,929 people were caught for vape offences
MOH and HSA said 108 of these abusers were placed on rehabilitation programmes at the Institute of Mental Health and social service agencies.
Another 33 are awaiting the outcome of further investigations or interviews, and six are waiting to be placed on the programme.
The remaining 20 will not be placed on the programme because six are foreigners awaiting repatriation and the other 14 have been jailed for offences unrelated to vapes.
The updates come after stricter measures were introduced on Sept 1
