Washington state has rules for what you can — and can’t — do while driving.
Driving while under the influence of cannabis is illegal, and a “safety risk,” the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board said on its website. “Using cannabis can cause drowsiness, slow reaction time and other side effects that can impair your driving, making it dangerous for yourself and others.”
Driving drunk can also result in fines and jail time.
What about tobacco use? Is it legal to get behind the wheel with a cigarette in your hands, or blow vape smoke in your car?
Here’s what Washington state law says: Can I smoke cigarettes while driving in Washington state?
The Revised Code of Washington doesn’t specifically prohibit smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes while driving.
However, you can face a hefty fine for throwing cigarette butts out the window of a car, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Littering fines range from $103 to $5,000.
Tossing trash on the highway can result in a fine of $231, the state Ecology Department said, while you’ll have to shell out $1,025 in fines for throwing “potentially dangerous litter,” including cigarette butts, on the road. Is vaping while driving legal in Washington state?
Washington law doesn’t directly ban using e-cigarettes, vape pens or similar devices while behind the wheel. Can I smoke or vape while transporting kids?
An update to Washington law will soon limit tobacco use in vehicles owned by licensed child care centers.
Starting May 1, care providers aren’t allowed to smoke or vape while “transporting children or youth in motor vehicles,” according to the Washington Advisory Code. Can I get pulled over for vaping, smoking behind the wheel?
If smoking or vaping impacts your ability to drive safely in Washington state, you can get pulled over for dangerously distracted driving.
State law defines “dangerously distracted” driver as anyone engaged in “any activity not related to the actual operation of a motor vehicle on any highway.”
For example, you could get a traffic ticket if your turns become dangerous or you swerve into another lane of traffic while smoking.
The fine for dangerously distracted driving in Washington state is $139.
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