A Highway Code rule could land road users who smoke behind the wheel with a hefty fine.
Despite smoking while driving being perfectly legal - as long as everyone in the car is over 18 - there are fines for the "incorrect disposal" of a cigarette. The Daily Record reports that throwing a cigarette butt out of the window of a moving vehicle can put other road users at risk.
Those caught discarding their cigarettes out the car window may face a fine anywhere between £50 and £100. This fine is in accordance with the Highway Code laws that were introduced to limit the casual discarding of plastic based cigarette butts.
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Finance firm CarMoney's Andrew Marshall says: "More publicised offences, such as making phone calls whilst driving, are already deemed unacceptable in our society but simple things such as throwing a cigarette out of a window are what we see on journeys every day, and often without consequence.
"We are reminding road users to be considerate of other road users and obey driving laws for their own safety and the safety of others whilst travelling.”
This news has come after recent research found that 52 per cent of drivers had heard about the rules that were introduced in 2022, but hadn't studied them. One in ten drivers aged 18-54 were actually completely unaware of the updates in place.
The research, which surveyed 13,300 drivers, was conducted by the AA, and found that many road users were still unaware of the nine new sections of the Highway Code.
Tim Rankin, managing director of AA Accident Assist, said: "For many the updated Highway Code formalises safe and sensible roadcraft, however we are concerned that so many still haven’t read the rules.
"While we are pleased that many of the changes can be successfully recalled, we’d like more drivers to know the rules outright so they can keep themselves and others safe.
"It is in everyone’s interest to take every measure that helps avoid collisions and remove confusion from the road, so we urge those that still haven’t read the updated Code to do so as soon as possible."
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