Man arrested for driving under the influence of drugs after accident in Ang Mo Kio; vape found

SINGAPORE – A 33-year-old man has been arrested for suspected drug-driving after an accident in Ang Mo Kio in the early hours of Sept 22.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the police said they were alerted to an accident involving a car and a taxi along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 towards Buangkok Green at 1.45am that day.

The driver of the car was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs.

“A vaporiser and a pod found in his possession were seized,” the police said, adding that the vaping offence has been referred to the Health Sciences Authority.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said that two people had been assessed for injuries, but both declined to be taken to hospital.

Investigations are ongoing, the police added.

A photo of the accident’s aftermath circulating online shows a black car straddling two lanes of the road.

The vehicle’s front end appears severely damaged with its airbags deployed, and debris is seen strewn across the road.

First-time offenders convicted of driving under the influence of drugs face a jail term of up to one year, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, according to the Singapore Police Force’s website.

Repeat offenders face up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $20,000, and will also be disqualified from driving.

Between 2023 and 2025, there were 38 traffic accidents that involved drug or etomidate use. Of these, half, or 19, resulted in deaths.

Nine of the fatal incidents involved etomidate – an anaesthetic that has been used in e-vaporisers known as Kpods – while the remaining 10 involved drugs only.

Traffic deaths in Singapore hit a 10-year high in 2025, with 149 killed, compared with 142 in 2024. The number of injured people also rose from 9,342 in 2024 to 9,955 in 2025.