In Connecticut as of 2025, there is no specific state law that makes vaping or smoking nicotine products while driving illegal by itself. However, smoking or vaping while driving can be considered a form of distracted driving, which is generally discouraged because it takes the driver’s attention away from safely operating the vehicle and can increase the risk of accidents. The state prohibits activities like texting or emailing while driving, but smoking or vaping does not have a similar explicit ban under current statutes.
Connecticut has extended many indoor smoking bans to include e-cigarettes and vapor products in various public places such as state buildings, restaurants, bars, schools, and public transit stations, reflecting a broad state policy against smoking/vaping in public areas. However, these restrictions do not directly apply to private vehicles on the road.
Although vaping while driving is not specifically prohibited, it could fall under broader distracted driving principles, meaning if law enforcement determines that vaping distracted you in a manner affecting safe driving, they may issue citations based on careless or distracted driving laws rather than a direct vaping violation.
For minors, the state prohibits possession of tobacco and vaping products, and there are strict laws against sales to anyone under age 21, but these age restrictions do not regulate the act of vaping while driving for adults legally using vaping products.
While Connecticut law does not explicitly ban vaping or smoking in a vehicle, doing so may increase distraction and risk. Drivers should exercise caution, as distracted driving laws remain enforceable, and smoking or vaping contributes to manual and cognitive distraction behind the wheel.
This reflects Connecticut’s current legal framework around vaping and driving in 2025.
Sources
[1] https://www.dhctlaw.com/blog/2024/04/does-smoking-contribute-to-distracted-driver-car-accidents/
[2] https://casaa.org/get-involved/state-locator/connecticut/
[3] http://www.ctclearinghouse.org/tobacco-merchant-resources/connecticut-tobacco-and-e-cigarette-vapor-laws/
[4] https://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/resources/us-e-cigarette-regulations-50-state-review/ct
[5] https://ecigator.com/regulation/us-vaping-laws-2025-state-federal/
