CAN I SMOKE IN A HIRE CAR

Whereas the rate at which people do smoke has considerably reduced for the past years, more than a billion smokers still exist globally. Because of this, there is need for one to first understand which policies do govern car rentals especially when it comes to smoking. That said, each car rental company has its own policies that anyone who hires a car must observe. Car Hire Companies usually do exactly what you think-they hire out a vehicle to people who are in need of them and they come at a fee that is also determined by several policies and restrictions together with differing levels of the quality of the vehicle that are rated by economy, standard, intermediate and luxury. 

Note all car hire are deemed smoke free zones and your car hire terms and conditions always state that no one is allowed to smoke in a care hire. Meaning, unless the local legislation states otherwise, you won’t be breaching any laws by lighting up in a car hire. However, what you will be doing is mainly exposing yourself to a potentially huge cleaning bill from the car rental company you will be dealing with and that is why we advise you never to smoke in a car hire.

In case of breach of stipulated terms and you smoke inside the car hire, this won’t only expose you to excess cleaning charges by also cause damage the care either from a cigarette burn or worse of it cause accident and this may render your insurance invalidated for using the vehicle outside what the terms and conditions state hence exposing you to a repair bill that perhaps you never prepared for.

Equally, the same policy applies to e-cigarettes or alternatively make a stopover and do it outside. Despite the fact that e-cigarettes usually never emit the same smoke or lasting smell on car fabrics which could leave you in serious problems, smoking in a car rental-e-cigarette can still lead you to unplanned charges or rather unnecessary distraction.

Another important question that many people usually do ask is whether it is illegal to smoke while driving. Technically, it is illegal for you to do and worse still if you did it while on road trip where discarding the cigarette butts out of the widow can easily cause wild fires especially during the dry season. The fact that no car hire company in Uganda allows smoking in their cars, breaking such a significant term means a huge charge to you goes into place as smoke can get just about anywhere. Usually, a car hire agency is in position to know if you did smoke in a car based on off of a sniff test. So in case there is a smell of smoke in the car, this becomes an indicator while others may check for cigarette butts or ashes and once found, you are liable for a charge. In case you need to clean a car rental that has been smoked, alternatively, you will need some labor with a bottle of vinegar/Windex together with ozium and a vacuum.

The other policies that are in line with car hire include a security deposit and in most cases, every car hire company has its mode of payment; others may require you to drop off at a certain point on the premise in that the vehicle can be cross checked by an associate whereas others may require you to park in the designated spot, remove your property and then you turn the key in. On the other hand, persons above 21 years are usually eligible to hire a car but this varies from country to country as others allow even those at 18 years and above. Besides, you need a valid government ID which is not expired to hire a car and your ID should have your photo and must valid for specified car hire period. Generally, for those of you who are thinking of smoking in car hire, our advice is that simply do not do it! To avoid related charges that come because of smoking in a car rental, is perhaps do it elsewhere.