Smoking banned in cars with children

[Arthur]

The £50 fine won't be much of a deterrent!

 

Source: BBC News

 

Drivers in England will be banned from smoking in their cars if they are carrying children as passengers.

 

The move, which will become law on 1 October, follows a similar ban in Wales and aims to protect young people under 18 from second-hand smoke. Scotland is also considering introducing a ban.

 

Anyone found flouting the law in England could be fined £50.

 

The British Lung Foundation welcomed the ban as a victory, but smokers' group Forest said it was unenforceable.

 

It will not apply to anyone driving alone or driving in a convertible car with the top down.

 

The regulations were passed in the Commons after 342 MPs voted in favour of legislation while just 74 voted against.

 

More than 430,000 children are exposed to second-hand smoke in cars each week, according to the British Lung Foundation,

 

Passive smoke in children can increase the risk of asthma, meningitis and cot death, say public health experts.

[sparkeh]

Sure, but it's a start toward changing culture to make it unacceptable which I think has more of an effect than a fine.

 

It's great news anyway

[synaesthesia]

Indeed it is good news. I hate it. My wife is a smoker (trying to quit) and she wouldn't even think about smoking in the car, with or without the kids in tow. Common sense really!

[truebluesteve]

I think its a great idea and long overdue, but the problem will be enforcement. Like getting caught with no insurance, not wearing a seating or using a mobile phone - it is just pure chance most of the time.

[Crumpet]

I'd personally prefer it if the police were left to deal with proper crime instead of nannying people.

[hardtailstar]

"It will not apply to anyone driving alone or driving in a convertible car with the top down"

 

Sales of convertibles are about to be on the up.....

[Disaster]

You know society is failing when laws are passed where it it should just be socially unacceptable.

[difinity]

I'd personally prefer it if the police were left to deal with proper crime instead of nannying people.

 

Indeed, perhaps there should be a second mobile "Police", fining the smokers, mobile phone users, those that drive around with their fog lights on and those that have illegal number plates.

 

And are parents really that thick or ignorant/desperate for their nicotine fix that they smoke in an enclosed space with their kids.

I am a smoker but have always kept it away from my daughter and don't smoke in my car.

[sippo]

Won't work. How will it be policed.

 

Anyone who smokes with kids in the car are selfish and ignorant. Shouldn't need the law to have an influence on it.

[JRowley]

This is just another example of a completely unenforceable law. A complete waste of time and money implementing it, very little gain to be had out of it. There seems to be a lot of this nonsense from the current government, flat refusal to deal with the root issue, just stick a plaster over it.

[abillybob]

Indeed, perhaps there should be a second mobile "Police", fining the smokers, mobile phone users, those that drive around with their fog lights on and those that have illegal number plates.

 

And are parents really that thick or ignorant/desperate for their nicotine fix that they smoke in an enclosed space with their kids.

I am a smoker but have always kept it away from my daughter and don't smoke in my car.

 

My dad used to smoke in the car when I was little, he used to think that all smoke was going out the window... I suppose it was perceived slightly different back then, though hasn't done me any harm?

I also smoke though I choose not to smoke in my car because quite frankly I don't want my car smelling of fags (don't have children but wouldn't smoke or tape around them if I did), I have been on ecigs now for the past year and have never touched a traditional cigarette for a long time, I'm not on 0 Nicotine and think I'll be off them completely by the summer!

 

Question is I suppose are you still allowed to vape around children? Because if you are I'm sure that's what many people will convert to.

[CAM]

Surely smoking at the wheel should fall under being distracted anyway in the same league as mobile phone usage, eating or doing your make-up in the mirror. Both hands on the wheel and paying attention, not one hand holding a cig whilst fumbling for the ash tray or flicking it out the window like a disgusting animal hoping the burning cig doesn't fall in your lap....

[synaesthesia]

"It will not apply to anyone driving alone or driving in a convertible car with the top down"

 

Sales of convertibles are about to be on the up.....

 

And an easy way to spot people with the smallest peni^H^H^H^levels of willpower possible that they can't go without for the duration of their 5 minute commute.

[elsiegee40]

For those going on about it being unenforceable ... I agree.

 

Decades ago they said the same about car seats.

 

What did happen is that it became socially unacceptable not to safely strap your child in the back of a car. Hopefully the same will happen with smoking.

[localzuk]

I don't understand the "unenforceable" law nonsense. Loads of our laws are difficult to enforce. Doesn't mean they shouldn't be laws. I'd imagine this law is actually pretty easy to enforce - police see you smoking with kids in the car, pull you over and give you a ticket. Most people will pay up, and hopefully alter their behaviour.

 

However, that said, this sort of law is not intended to be all about the punishment. Its about changing people's behaviour. If you know its a crime, it might make you think as to why, and stop you doing it. That's the goal.

[abillybob]

Surely smoking at the wheel should fall under being distracted anyway in the same league as mobile phone usage, eating or doing your make-up in the mirror. Both hands on the wheel and paying attention, not one hand holding a cig whilst fumbling for the ash tray or flicking it out the window like a disgusting animal hoping the burning cig doesn't fall in your lap....

I think that's why vaping is much better, when I used to smoke in my old clio it was distracting though I don't find an e cig to be half as bad. There's no ash you have to flick away and you can hold it around the steering wheel with both hands fully on the wheel as you don't need to worry about burning your hands it's much safer I personally think.

 

But everything is distracting, putting in a CD or changing the radio station distracts you, should we band that too? If you're taking a long 2 hour trip and need a quick drink are you saying to stop that as well? What about passengers, they can be just as distracting while talking to you or to each other in the car while your driving, shall we stop that? What about changing gear? It requires you to take a hand off the steering wheel and you only need your car not to go into gear or grind and that will distract you? I agree with eating I don't think people should be eating behind the wheel or applying makeup for that matter.

 

I don't think they have banned it because it's deemed distracting it's more down to the point it's harmful to children.

[CAM]

Radio station can be sorted by using controls on the steering wheel (common feature these days). Vaping has no time limit until the cig burns out, can have a quick puff when stopping at a traffic light. Just don't use vapour containing nicotine around children.

 

A cig will burn and burn. It will continue to fill the car with fumes and the smoker will find themselves wanting to smoke it between pauses in driving before they have no cig left.

 

And no, you shouldn't be drinking from a bottle or cup whilst driving either. Stop every few hours for a break on a long journey to stretch your legs and use the loo (which you should do anyway).

[spadam]

As an ex smoker imo the most dangerous part of smoking at the wheel is the constant risk of dropping the cig and then desperately trying to work out what pert of the car or your self is burning while still being in control of the car.

[truebluesteve]

I don't understand the "unenforceable" law nonsense. Loads of our laws are difficult to enforce. Doesn't mean they shouldn't be laws. I'd imagine this law is actually pretty easy to enforce - police see you smoking with kids in the car, pull you over and give you a ticket. Most people will pay up, and hopefully alter their behaviour.

 

However, that said, this sort of law is not intended to be all about the punishment. Its about changing people's behaviour. If you know its a crime, it might make you think as to why, and stop you doing it. That's the goal.

 

You're right - its just the chances of it happening are so very slim. Actually spotting someone smoking in their car during the day will be difficult enough, but at night almost impossible. I don't expect too many tickets being issued for this.

 

It seems strange to have to introduce such a law really - are some smokers so addicted to their weed that it comes above the health of their children?

[mats]

It seems strange to have to introduce such a law really - are some smokers so addicted to their weed that it comes above the health of their children?

 

Go and stand outside a hospital. Before long, a pregnant woman will come out for a smoke.

[abillybob]

Radio station can be sorted by using controls on the steering wheel (common feature these days). Vaping has no time limit until the cig burns out, can have a quick puff when stopping at a traffic light. Just don't use vapour containing nicotine around children.

 

You can't just assume that every car should have this feature. There is still a lot of cars on the road that don't have this feature, what do we do with them? Ban them?

 

A cig will burn and burn. It will continue to fill the car with fumes and the smoker will find themselves wanting to smoke it between pauses in driving before they have no cig left.

 

But you can do all of this without taking your eyes of the road only difference is you've lost a hand for 5 seconds off the steering wheel while you inhale. It's much more dangerous changing the radio or even changing gear than it is having a fag in the car.

 

And no, you shouldn't be drinking from a bottle or cup whilst driving either. Stop every few hours for a break on a long journey to stretch your legs and use the loo (which you should do anyway).

 

I disagree, it's my car and if I'm driving to work (20 minute drive) and feel a bit thirsty there's nothing wrong with picking up a flask and having a sip in my eyes. Statistically eating and drinking cause 2% crashes in the US but smoking isn't even a statistic and doesn't even account for 1% of crashes, the only exception of course is with drugs such as weed. Compare this statistic to changing the radio which is 7%, distracting passengers which is 9%, Looking at scenery 10% and Fatigue which is 12%. So maybe we should start banning those things before we ban cigarettes?

 

It should also be mentioned that nicotine on it's own causes little to non health problems and causes no problems to people around you, it's the way smokers consume nicotine that's the problem. Nicotine actually has much of the same effect as caffeine does. If people want to smoke I say let them the same way you want a beer or drink a coffee in a morning to wake you up, it's the way that we consume nicotine that I think needs to change because let's be honest we'll never stop people consuming nicotine as long as it's legal, they'd have an easier job at banning smoking but actually banning the drug nicotine would be very difficult as mentioned before caffeine has much to the same effect.

 

Again this is to improve the quality of our children health not because it's distracting to smoke while driving, I think that people have very strong opinions on smoking, but smoking itself is legal and has been socially accepted for centuries, I'm not saying that it should be accepted now with what we know it does to you and others around you but it's someone's right to smoke if they wish to and their individual choice and I personally wouldn't judge them even though I haven't been a proper smoker for the last year. Drinking kills you, causes more deaths in car's and is an addictive substance... yet this is socially acceptable. People should look at the bigger picture and not just think "I don't like smoking, so bah humbug to you all"

Source : http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/07/20/the-6-most-common-causes-of-automobile-crashes.htm

 

It seems strange to have to introduce such a law really - are some smokers so addicted to their weed that it comes above the health of their children?

It's sad but unfortunately yes, a lot of people are. Smoking is believed to be as addictive as herorin.

Edited February 12, 2015 by abillybob

[Bezwick]

I find this whole thing ridiculous. From what i have seen all the evidence being quoted as the reason for this ban is based on smoking in a car with the windows shut (if they are open the risks drop to negligible levels). I know a lot of people who smoke in their cars and not one of them does it with the windows shut.

So my biggest concern would be if people are driving around with their kids in a car and the windows shut, they are obviously bad parents and smoking in cars is the least of the child's problems.

Am i the only person here who thinks that?

[truebluesteve]

Go and stand outside a hospital. Before long, a pregnant woman will come out for a smoke.

 

Well I was going to mention that - having been outside many hospitals and seen patients and staff smoking. Unfortunately its not against the law and while some hospital trusts have rules about it, they aren't enforced that well

[mthomas08]

Sure, but it's a start toward changing culture to make it unacceptable which I think has more of an effect than a fine.

 

It's great news anyway

 

Yep.

 

Next - illegal to smoke while pregnant.

[CAM]

You can wait 20mins to have a drink. You can wait 20mins to have a smoke. You can wait a few minutes for the current song to end before finding a quiet stretch of road to slow down a bit and change the station.