Etomidate-Laced Vaping Emerges as Growing Threat to Road Safety in Singapore
Key Insights
Singapore recorded 38 drug-linked traffic accidents between 2023 and 2025, with 19 fatalities, and etomidate implicated in 18 of 29 cases in 2025 alone.
Clinical toxicologist Dr. Jonathan Tang warns etomidate impairs reaction time, hazard perception, and vehicle control, comparable to alcohol intoxication.
A 34-year-old man faces dangerous driving causing death charges after a CTE crash that killed a 20-year-old motorcyclist, with etomidate detected in his blood.
Singapore is confronting a disturbing rise in traffic accidents linked to drug-impaired driving, with the anesthetic agent etomidate—increasingly abused through e-vaporisers known as Kpods—emerging as a significant contributor to road fatalities. Over a 12-day period in June 2025 alone, three men were charged with driving under the influence of drugs, their alleged crimes detected only after they were involved in collisions.
The most recent case involves Puah Zhe Cong, 34, who was handed seven charges under the Road Traffic Act on June 10, including dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop after an accident. According to charge sheets, Puah was seen swerving, slowing down, and stopping multiple times while driving along the Central Expressway (CTE) toward the Seletar Expressway (SLE) on June 5, 2025, at approximately 1:15 a.m. Police said he eventually stopped his vehicle in the middle of the expressway, obstructing traffic. A motorcycle subsequently collided with the stationary car, throwing both the rider and pillion onto the path of oncoming traffic. Puah allegedly fled the scene without rendering aid and failed to report the accident to police within the legally required 24-hour period. The 20-year-old motorcyclist, who was unconscious after the crash, later died from multiple grievous injuries. The 28-year-old pillion rider sustained a spinal fracture, liver lacerations, head injury, right ankle fracture, and multiple abrasions. A 28-year-old passenger in another vehicle involved was also injured. Following his arrest, the Health Sciences Authority (search) detected traces of etomidate in Puah's blood, and police suspended his driving licence with immediate effect.
Clinical Impact of Etomidate on Driving Ability
Clinical toxicologist Dr. Jonathan Tang, from the Emergency Medicine Department at the National University Hospital, has directly observed the consequences of etomidate-impaired driving. "Similar to alcohol intoxication, etomidate use affects the user's ability to drive and places them and other road users at risk," Dr. Tang stated. He noted encountering a handful of patients presenting with traumatic injuries from road traffic accidents under the influence of etomidate-laced vapes.
Dr. Tang elaborated on the specific impairments: "Impairment from etomidate increases the risk of delayed reaction, poor hazard perception and loss of vehicle control. This not only endangers the driver but also significantly increases the risk of harm to passengers, pedestrians and other road users." He further cautioned that etomidate Kpod use has been reported to induce psychiatric symptoms such as depressed mood, increased aggression, and impulsivity, leading to suicide attempts—effects that "significantly compromise the ability to safely operate a vehicle."
Scope of the Problem
Data released by the Traffic Police (search) in February 2025 revealed that the number of people injured in road accidents rose from 9,342 in 2024 to 9,955 in 2025. Traffic deaths also climbed from 142 in 2024 to a 10-year high of 149 in 2025, surpassing the previous peak of 141 recorded in 2016.
In Parliament, Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam disclosed that there were 38 traffic accidents linked to drug and etomidate use between 2023 and 2025. Of these, 19 cases were fatal. Among the fatal cases, 10 involved drugs, while nine involved etomidate use. Of the 38 total accidents, 29 occurred in 2025, with 18 cases involving etomidate—seven of which also involved other drugs.
Broader Pattern of Drug-Impaired Driving
The CTE fatality is part of a broader pattern. On June 8, Sivakandesh, 32, was charged with driving under the influence of methamphetamine after his Mercedes-Benz crashed into a rubbish chute in Yishun Street 11, striking two concrete bollards, a parked vehicle, and the chute before stopping. On June 19, Mohamed Firdouz Mohamed Akram, 36, was charged with causing injuries to two people while driving dangerously in Kallang; he was found to have consumed methamphetamine, and police discovered drugs, vaporisers, and weapons in his vehicle.
An earlier incident on May 13, 2025, in Punggol saw a car collide with a bus; police discovered 42 vapes and more than 1,200 pods in the vehicle, some containing etomidate. The 28-year-old female passenger died, and etomidate was detected in both the driver's and the deceased woman's blood.
Regulatory and Enforcement Response
In response to parliamentary questions from MP Valerie Lee (Pasir Ris-Changi GRC), Minister Shanmugam confirmed that Traffic Police (search) assess motorists involved in accidents for impaired driving. "If TP suspects drug or etomidate use, a blood test will be required. Drivers may be liable for the offence of driving while under influence," he stated.
For driving under the influence of an intoxicating substance, first-time offenders face imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. Repeat offenders may be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $20,000. In a statement on June 18, police emphasised that "driving under the influence of drugs is an extremely dangerous and irresponsible act" and affirmed they "will take firm action against motorists who drive under the influence of drugs, psychoactive substances, intoxicating substances or alcohol."
Puah's case is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on June 26. He faces 24 charges in total, including outstanding matters related to cheating, theft, and money laundering, among them the alleged theft of a white Audi A3 valued at approximately $60,000 from a Bedok Reservoir Road multi-storey carpark in July 2024.