Drivers can be hit in the pocket if they are found vaping behind the wheel - and left with a huge £5,000 fine in some cases.
Vaping has already been linked to some serious health concerns, but it turns out there’s another way that the ‘healthy alternative’ to smoking can get you into trouble.
Apart from the distraction of handling the vape sticks, the huge clouds of vapour they create can make it difficult for the driver to see pedestrians, other vehicles or obstacles in the road.
Vaping is increasingly popular. In September 2019, the anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking and Health conducted research suggesting that some 3.6million people in the UK have taken it up.
Motorists involved in a crash or turning their attention away from the road to vape can face cash penalties, Birmingham Live reports.
If you’re involved in an accident while vaping in your car, or even if police just see you steaming along with a car full of vapour, you could be liable for a £100 on-the-spot fine and three penalty points.
In some serious cases or cases where the fine is contested in court, the one can escalate to a maximum of £5,000, with up to nine penalty points and potentially even a driving ban.
Nick Lloyd, Road Safety Manager for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, has written on the dangers of vaping in cars.
He said: “Any secondary activity such as eating, talking on a mobile phone or indeed vaping, which is undertaken while driving, is source of distraction and creates increased risk of being involved in a crash."
He continues: “There have been a range of estimations about the number of incidents that are caused or contributed to by driver distraction.
"Road accident data suggests that in 2018, “distraction in vehicle” contributed to 2,647 incidents – three per cent of all of those reported on the road.”
“With this in mind,” says Nick, “it may best to pull over or wait until the end of your journey before taking a puff.”
