Apr 12, 2018

Motorists who vape while driving can face penalties in UK

The UK houses 3 million vapers with the majority driving and vaping. The big concern is that the bellows of vapour produced by the e-cigarettes will impair the driver’s sight.

Police stated that even though it’s not illegal to vape and drive, they will treat e-cigarettes the same as any handheld electronic device. This means that if motorists are distracted by them, or the clouds of vapour it produces, they could face prosecution for driving without due care and attention. The worry is that vapour clouds can partially impair the vision the same way sun glare does and that it can potentially cause severe crashes.

The punishment ranges from three to nine points on the offender’s license, a fine of up to £2,500 or disqualification.

As with cellphones, vaping while driving can be distracting – visually, physically and mentally.

Taking your eyes off the road while driving increases the risk of causing a crash, killing yourself or others or being responsible for serious injury.

The takeaway is that to take care when driving and vaping. If your device produces big clouds, rather abstain from using it whilst driving. Another alternative is to drive with open windows so that the clouds dissipate before it can become dangerous.

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