IBVTA Weighs In On 'Sensationalist' Vaping While Driving Headlines

The Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) has issued a response to a recent rash of reports indicating that drivers in the United Kingdom who vape while driving are at risk of legal repercussions including fines and loss of license. In their response, they referred to headlines of reports on the matter as “sensational” while attempting to offer further clarification on the matter of vaping while driving as it pertains to its legality in the UK.

“This week has seen a number of sensational headlines, warning that vaping while driving could land you a £2,500 fine and a driving ban.”

As for what “sensational headlines” they’re referring to, it’s probably safe to assume that headlines like the following are more or less (if not exactly) what they’re referencing:

“Smoking e-cigarette while driving can land you with a £2,500 fine and a driving ban” (Express.co.uk)
“Vaping while driving could be illegal, say police” (Aberdeen Evening Express)
“People caught vaping behind the wheel could lose their license” (Metro.co.uk)

Reality Check

While some headline scanning news readers might get the impression that vaping while driving is illegal due to the passing of some new law or an amendment to an existing law, the reality is that no such law exists in the United Kingdom (or the United States for that matter). However, as the IBVTA put it in their response, these references to the possibility of legal repercussions for vapers who vape while they drive “are assumed to be related to existing guidance on prosecution of drivers, driving without due care and attention.”

In other words, there aren’t any new laws or changes to existing laws that make vaping while driving illegal. However, if one is deemed to be driving unsafe or distracted while driving, there may be legal repercussions as a result of previously established laws governing the operation of motor vehicles.

In conclusion, the IBVTA wrote in their response:

“It is regrettable that most vaping related news stories are so often misreported or misrepresented, and have the potential to cause alarm among vapers and the public and, more generally, continue the pejorative subliminal messaging that media apparently seems so invested in associating to vaping’s enormous success and contribution to society. Let’s remember that vaping exists because and only because of smoking. Smoking not only takes the early life of one in every two of its users, but is currently still deemed legal to be undertaken whilst in control of a vehicle.”