England goes smoke-free

[Kim]

I think it would be a very good idea if there was actually a viable way to enforce it.

[StarsOfCCTV]

Surely smoking in your car should be illegal anyway because you are using one hand to smoke and one hand to drive.

[Abigail]

My dad has done both for almost 30 years in cars, LGV and HGVs and never had an accident.

I don't think it says anything in the highway code about not smoking and driving at the same time.

[StarsOfCCTV]

Hmm..I think it should.

It just seems dangerous to me. Especially if a person driving a manual, having to change gears constantly and if they drop the cigarette surely they would get distracted? But the same logic applies to eating and talking on mobiles. - incidentally also hands-free, as worse as hand-held mobile.

Its not specifically cigarettes that annoy me. A person should have their whole concentration on the road. There's always places people can pull over or stop if they want to do any of these things.

[Pinkbanana]

Adults should be banned from smoking in cars when children are passengers, the new head of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8104062.stm


Thoughts?

I personally think this is taking the smoking ban one step too far. How would this even be enforced? Flashing blue lights when the cops see you drive by with a fag in one hand and a kid in the back?

I think it would be very difficult to police if it did come into force. To me though, I would say it was common sense not to smoke and drive... also smoking in a confined space with anyone, let alone small children imo is just selfish... I for one dont want to have to inhale someone else's poisonous fumes... Sadly, their children wont get much say in the matter.

[CrazyLea]

It just seems dangerous to me. Especially if a person driving a manual, having to change gears constantly and if they drop the cigarette surely they would get distracted? But the same logic applies to eating and talking on mobiles. - incidentally also hands-free, as worse as hand-held mobile.

My mate dropped her fag while changing gears, lucky for her another of our mates was in the car with her so could grab it... could have easily have caused an accident or fire... with her searching for it and stuff.

[Abbie]

I think its a good idea, I mean its different around the house, in the car your in a very confined space

[CrazyLea]

And if they are older children then they can walk out of a room.. can't decide to walk out of a car lol..

[Abbie]

Exactly! lol
I mean I know it has windows and its not the same thing, you can inflict harm on your own body but that doesnt give the right to do it to someone else

[Abigail]

I do agree with you on kids not having to breathe in smoke, I hated being in the car when I was a child.

But what concerns me is how would this even be enforceable? Smoking in public is easy for cops to slap you with a ticket but on a highway it's more difficult.