If you’re considering vaping while you drive, you might want to think twice because you might be breaking the law. Depending on where you find yourself driving, there may be laws related to vaping and driving. In some countries, it’s illegal to vape in the car if you have minors in the car with you. There are even laws in some areas that make distracted driving an offence. So if a cop sees you and you look like you’re distracted by your vape, that could be a reason to pull you over and cite you for a traffic violation. If your car is overflowing with vapour and looks like there’s fog in your car, can you really see the road that well? Maybe you’re fine but a cop might suspect otherwise.
So Is It Okay To Vape While You Drive?
If you are by yourself in the car, are somewhere where it’s not illegal to vape while you’re driving, and you can use your vape while driving safely and obeying all of the laws of the road, then you might be in a situation where it’s okay to drive. Still, ask yourself if your vaping is going to bother anyone else on the road.
Don’t Upset Other People With Your Vapour
Maybe there’s a pedestrian that’s waiting at an intersection and you’re stopped at the light right next to them. Is it okay to blow vapour out of your window and into their face? Depending on how close they are, the nice thing to do might be to wait until you’re nowhere near them. The same is true for other cars near you. Maybe the car next to you has its window open and would rather not smell your vapour. If that’s the case, the courteous thing to do would be to wait until there aren’t any cars nearby whose occupants might be upset by your vapour.
If you’ve ever been behind another car as someone in the car was smoking, you might already know what it’s like to breathe someone else’s secondhand smoke while you’re driving. If you didn’t like it then you’re not the only one. When you’re vaping and driving, consider the notion that other people might feel the same way about your vapour as you feel about others’ smoke.
Only Vape While Driving If You Can Do So Safely
If you’re navigating a tight turn or winding roads that require your full attention, it’s probably not a great time to fish around for your vape to take a quick puff. Assuming it’s legal to vape and drive in the situation that you’re in, make sure that you’re only doing so when it’s safe to do so. Don’t be distracted by your vaping to the extent that it impacts your ability to drive safely.
Never Vape With Minors In The Car
Vaping with a minor in the car is illegal in some countries but not all. If you have a minor in the vehicle then we recommend not vaping while you’re in the car.
If you have any adults with you in the car while you’re driving, the courteous thing to do would be to ask them if they’re okay with you pulling out your e-cig and taking some puffs from it. They might say no or tell you that they’d prefer you did it outside the car or perhaps to just open up a window while you do it to let the vapour out of the car. Whatever the case, you should be polite and considerate of any adult passengers that you might have in the car with you when it comes to vaping in the car.
Can Vaping Damage Your Car?
Vaping inside of your car is unlikely to cause any irreparable or noticeable damage. Smoking tobacco in a car will leave behind a really nasty smell. If you’ve ever been in a smoker’s car or purchased or rented a used car that was smoked in, you might already know what a smoker’s car smells like. It’s rather awful and the smell can be nearly impossible to remove, despite the claims of various car cleaning products. Does vaping do the same thing? No. You can vape in a car and the smell will not linger. Minutes after you stop vaping, if a window is down, the vapour will no longer be detectable. It might last a little longer if you’re filling your car with huge clouds while all of the windows are shut but in ordinary circumstances, it’s not going to linger for long.
Smokers sometimes leave little burn marks in the interiors of their cars. Generally, these are accidents. The smoker has a lit cigarette and the end that’s lit touches something in the car, leaving behind a burn mark. Does vaping do this? No. E-cigs don’t have some flaming hot end that will burn a car’s interior, it’s just not the way they’re designed. So if you’re vaping in the car then you don’t have to worry about leaving little burn marks.
Some people have said that vaping leaves behind vape residue on car windows. One Reddit user proposed the simple solution of using “a little dish soap in a spray bottle with water” to clean vape residue from car windows while another proposed using glass cleaner and a microfiber towel to wipe away any vapour residue.
Is It Safe To Vape While Riding A Motorcycle?
Vaping while actively driving a motorcycle is a dangerous proposition. The average motorcycle requires both hands on the handlebars in order to operate the front brake and clutch. Compare this to a car with an automatic transmission where the hands are only needed to steer the vehicle and it’s easy to spot the difference in how the two are operated. Keeping both hands on the grips to react quickly to sudden changes in the road is critical to safely operating a motorcycle. We do not recommend vaping while you’re driving a motorcycle.
