Vaping and Driving: Is it Legal to Vape and Drive?

When we drive, we need to maintain full concentration on the road to avoid accidents. For this reason, mobile devices or tablets are prohibited while driving. The popularity of vaping has raised the question, is it legal to vape and drive?

Well, firstly, it depends on the country. In the US vaping isn’t specifically banned while driving. However, there are laws that could cause you to be fined if you vape and drive.

Another issue would be to consider whether vaping is dangerous while driving or not. For instance, vaping clouds could reduce your visibility while driving.

So, back to our main topic. Is it legal to vape and drive? Is it legal in the US? The answer is that vaping could be a potential driving violation under certain circumstances.

However, nobody has gone to jail because of vaping and driving…

Is it legal to vape and drive in the The US?

There are no specific laws prohibiting vaping while driving in the US. Nonetheless, there are laws about driving and distractions. For instance, to prevent drivers to text while they’re driving. Therefore, many US states have enacted distracted driving laws. The question here is, is vaping classified as an electronic device likely to be banned like mobile phone or tablets? It depends on the state, but vaping could be classified as a “distraction” and thus you could get a ticket if you vape and drive.

To sum up, the short answer is “yes”, there are possibilities that you get a fine if you use a vaping device and drive at the same time. Especially, if you use RDA devices or refillable vaping devices. In other words, don’t try to refill, manipulate, change coils etc. while driving. Not just because you could get a ticket, but because it’s not a wise idea to get distracted with a mobile phone, tablet or any other device while you are driving.

Most of vaping devices have buttons, settings (such as language, voltage, airflow) that classifies them as “computing devices”.  

Vaping and Fines: Is it Legal to Vape and drive?

Fines are very rare. There are some reported cases like a man in New York that was fined because of vaping behind the wheel.

Vaping and Obstructed Visibility

We usually think about cracks or a damaged windshield that can obstruct visibility and, hence preventing an efficient driving.

There are laws that specify that non-transparent objects or substances cannot obstruct the windshield as it would mean a serious risk behind the wheel. For instance, if you vape with powerful sub-ohm device, the vaping clouds could be so thick that it might obstruct your visibility. Therefore, in this specific case, a vaping cloud could be considered a “non-transparent object”.

In other words, if you are going to vape while driving, pay attention not to reduce visibility with massive vaping clouds. For instance, you can open the windows to have good ventilation to get a good road visibility and avoid problems.

In addition, it’s very likely that if your car is obstructed with vapor from your vaping device, it will catch the attention of the traffic police. So, don’t take unnecessary risks not just because you could get a fine but because you could unnecessarily risk your life.

When you’re driving, however, it may not be the best idea to puff your vaping device. Many vaping newbies reduce their visibility by vaping without opening the windows or blowing vapor directly on the windshield, reducing the visibility for a few moments. This can be very dangerous, especially when on the highway. In addition, the mix of vape juice also plays an important part. E-liquids with a higher VG:PG ratio produce more vapor and thicker clouds. In other words, you better choose e-liquids with more PG (propylene glycol) and less vegetable glycerin.

Reckless Driving and Vaping

Reckless driving could be driving faster than allowed by the authorities. For instance, filling in your vaping device while driving could also be considered reckless driving. In conclusion, you could definitely get a fine for reckless driving or even cause an accident.

Any action that takes our eyes off the road could be reckless driving. In other words, avoid filling or manipulate your vaping device.

Vaping Behind the Wheel: Other Dangers

If you vape nicotine, make sure you vape the right strength. Moreover, if you are not used to high concentrations of nicotine, choose a reduced concentration of nicotine or vape less frequently. If you vape too much nicotine, then you may feel dizzy and it can also affect your driving and motor skills. Moreover, you could also experience nausea.

There are no laws which specifically prohibit vaping while driving. There are, however, laws that banned smoking in cars with children in UK. Nonetheless, it’s not illegal to smoke while driving either.

Vaping and Driving: Guidelines

As explained in this article, there are no specific laws banning vaping while driving not even smoking and driving. However, we have some tips to prevent reckless driving:

1) Firstly, avoid operating your vaping device while driving as this could lead to traffic violations and reckless driving.

2) Don’t vape sub-ohm devices with vape juices with high VG content. This will produce big vaping clouds that could eventually obstruct your visibility.

3) It’s better to vape while you’re not driving. Consider stop for a break and vape.

4) If you vape while driving, open the windows to ventilate your car.

In conclusion, is it legal to vape and drive? Yes, it’s legal but you need to follow these guidelines and be extremely careful while driving!

Vaping and Driving: Is it Legal to Vape and Drive? was originally posted by E-Sigaret Nieuws