'Little-known' driving mistake could see you hit with £5,000 fine

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Motorists are being cautioned about a potentially costly error that could result in a staggering '£5,000 fine'. According to specialists at Vape Globe, the act of vaping or smoking while driving could lead to this hefty penalty.Rule 148 of the Highway Code emphasises the need for full concentration when driving or riding, advising against distractions such as blaring music, eating, and smoke.

If vape clouds impair your visibility and driving capability, you could be hit with a significant fine."Contrary to belief, vaping is technically illegal in the car," the experts said. "While the rules don’t explicitly mention vapes, as they are a fairly new product, it does state that drivers can receive a £100 on-the-spot fine and three penalty points if they believe the clouds of smoke impact your ability to drive safely."The clouds of smoke can of course be related to the same clouds emitted by vapes and in more serious cases fines can be up to £5,000, nine penalty points and even a court-imposed driving ban."Experts at Motoring Defence Solicitors also echoed this, adding: "The risk vapers face however is that they could be smacked with a penalty even if their standard of driving wasn’t actually affected due to the huge plumes of smoke that are often discharge.

When in a confined space such as your car, the smoke could easily obscure the windscreen and restrict your view, particularly if there were other factors affecting visibility present (i.e.

rain, sun, poor lighting)."Although it's technically legal to smoke inside your car, this isn't the case if anyone under 18 is present.