Warning to Vaping Drivers
The police are warning drivers that vaping behind the wheel could lead to fines and loss of licence.
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by Dave Cross
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Vaping while driving is not against the law, but Surrey Police Sergeant John Davis stated: "Any person who is distracted in any way could be guilty of an offence - whether that be smoking, vaping or eating. With regards a scenario where someone could potentially be either distracted or have reduced visibility then there is potential for a crash."
The Road Policing Unit’s Sergeant Carl Knapp said: "The smoke caused by vapes are a distraction and the consequences of them can be dire, all it takes is a moment to become distracted and potentially cause a crash and even worse, a fatality."
The officer continued: "I strongly advise people to pay 100 percent attention to the roads when driving as anything that takes that attention away has the potential of severe consequences.”
"There are no laws prohibiting vaping, however, you need to be in full and proper control of your vehicle at all times. If you are going to vape I advise that you open your windows and blow the vapour directly out, just ensure that you are in full control of your vehicle before doing so."
Brake is a UK road safety charity that campaigns to prevent road deaths and injuries. A spokesperson said: "Driving is the most dangerous thing most of us do on a daily basis; it is a complex task, that requires your full attention to do so safely. Vaping while driving increases your risk of crashing, causing visual disruption and physical and mental distraction.”
They added: "Attempting any type of activity that takes your eyes off the road increases your chances of causing a crash, and killing or seriously injuring someone. Our roads are busy places, and we would urge drivers to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel at all times."
The officers said that if a driver is deemed to be distracted while vaping by the police they face the possibility of 3 to 9 points and a fine of up to £2,500 or disqualification.
A spokesperson for RoSPA chipped in: “Vaping while driving could easily impair a driver's ability to drive safely, which could increase the chances of crashing.”
Do you think vaping impairs your control of a vehicle? Planet of the Vapes contacted Surry Police to ask them if vaping was more dangerous than an officer using their police radio while driving? An officer was unavailable to deal with the question and the force is still to respond.
Photo Credit:
Hotbox police car https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAQaTjPEJlI
Hotbox cars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KT6k_wQ-OA
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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