Britain to Introduce a Ban on Smoking in Cars
34November 23, 2011 by Aleksandra Łuczak
Britain is about to introduce a new law which will ban smoking in cars. There are many opponents as well as proponents of this law.
Like mobile phones used for talkin and texting while driving, cigarettes distract from the primary task of driving and are a safety hazard.
The second reason is the toxicity the smoke, and the doctor’s concern is particularly for children’s health and the risks of being exposed to the fumes.
But we shouldn’t be interfering in peoples private lives, should we?
Have your say!
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Being an extreme libertarian I say “This is insane! They are assaulting our freedom and rights! Goddamn socialists!”; but seriously this is a very interesting topic to deliberate on.
Let me first bring in the matter of the smoke affecting the children. The article states that the “incense” of a cigarette that stays in car after years of smoking strikes your kid’s health. Yet again the libertarian in me wakes up and screams something about “Bloody socialists using children to manipulate the society”, though looking at this case from rational perspective this argument not only might be true but also be the most important cause justifying the law. If true, the smoking should be banned from parent’s cars, PARENT’S CARS. Why ban smoking for people through their life have never had a child inside their car?! Sure it affects every human, animal or pest that happens to be inside the vehicle but it is their choice to be there and it should not affect the driver’s freedom to do whatever he wants in or on his property.
With this said (or written) we can now discuss the matter of “cigarettes distracting people from driving”. I am not really sure about that argument. The one of the effects of tobacco (besides killing you slowly from inside) is relaxation and I wouldn’t call relaxed driver a “danger on the road”. If I were rich and just bought a limousine that I needed to hire a driver for and I were placed before choice of relaxed guy and infuriated stressed madman I would probably choose the relaxed one that in my opinion would be a much better driver.
Another argument is that all of us drivers need two hands to drive hence the one is always on the wheel and the other should be operating the gearbox. Again this is not a problem because unlike the phone, that requires our hand to hold the phone in our hand right next to our ear, while holding a cigarette you can still grab the transmission handle with no problem what so ever. I am not a smoker any more but believe me I’ve tried that with no problems whatsoever.
In conclusion, should smoking in cars be banned? I say, if the detrimental impact on children will be proven scientifically, the parents should be banned from smoking in cars AND in their houses (let them freeze in the garden [place evil laughter here]) but only if it is proven! Otherwise it’s just another stupid law that irritates people and is based on nothing but political reasons.
I think it’s a really good idea to ban smoking in a car because it causes many various problems. While you smoke, you’re not concentrated on driving and you pay less attention to what’s going on on the street which can lead to an accident. Many people smoking in the car just throw the cigarette through the window after they finish smoking and that’s harmful to environment.
In my opinion introducing this law is a very good idea. First of all I think that we live in very demanding and fast world, so smoking maybe is some kind of distraction or even a therapy for tired and busy people. But also they are sometimes forgetting what is good for them. Smoking is not only unhealthy for their lungs, i think that also they should be aware of danger that is caused because smoking in cars. Actually driving a car is a demanding action. We can meet a lot of unexpected and dangerous situations there, in which two available hands are essential to avoid a tragedy, not even mentioning a possibility of setting a fire. Also smoking in car while children are on the board should be punished. The best argument for is that children can’t choose if they want to use a smoke-filled car or not.
In my opinion, the England ban on smoking will present arguments for and against introducing this new law in our country. We know they enforce laws that we can not smoke in public places.
In my opinion, introducing a ban on smoking should be ordained. First of all, this ban should be ordained because the smoke from the cigarettes is unhealthy for ourselves, but it is also unhealthy for accompanying people. I think we should care for other people’s health, and protect them from breathing second-hand smoke. Secondly smoking while driving can distract us from paying attention to the road we are driving through. For example the cigarette can fall on the carpet, and we will bend down to pick it up. While doing this, we won’t pay attention to the road, and we may cause a car crash.
On the other hand, our law forbids smoking in public places. Our car is our private zone, so it should be legal, but only when we are driving alone and we are not risking injury to other people.
In general, I would like to say that we shouldn’t be interfering in people private lives. I can handle it only if we are considering their health and safety. A ban on smoking in British cars, in my opinion, is a very good idea. We should do the same in Poland. It would definitely solve some environmental issues. Moreover, it would be good for everyone’s health, not to mention no more bad influence on the co-travelling children. It’s also better to focus all our attention on driving than on smoking.
Ban on smoking in my car? It is completely absurd!!! Firstly it isn’t like with ‘’texting and driving’’ it is different case. When person is addicted to smoking and needs a cigarette it is safe to give her/him opportunity to smoke in his/her car. To prove my way of thinking I will write that addicted person can’t concentrate on driving while she/he is thinking about a cigarette. Secondly car is my own property so why can’t I do whatever I want inside it?!?
Well I am a smoker myself, so I am against right away, but still i think, that some points should be incuded. Like in our beatifull country-ban from smoking if one person on bord isn’t a smoker- baby or just a friend, so it could be passed by in cases of driving with adults
I can agree with this ban on smoking in cars. Smoking as well as texting turns attention. If you need to do it necessary, you can simply stop the car in immediate opportunity and smoke. This is the simplest way to avoid tragedy. To be a good driver means to have and use imagination. 5 minuts break for cigarette that’s not a lot, can change everything and maybe save someones life?
All laws which interfer our freedom is very problematic topic. One can say that the can easily smoke while driving, others will say that while smoking we don’t focus enough on the road. For me people can smoke whenever they want if they don’t poison me and don’t create poison environment. When People are distract during driving they are very dangerous. They create accidents but very often innocent persons die. I think that all laws that can make driving safer and are easily to introduce are good idea.
Im not a smoker so maybe im not objective but i think that it is good idea. Im always against type of action which have bad influence on freedom but not this time. In the one side we have smaller probability of car accidents, better health and on the other people rights of using their own property. I think that 1st is more important in this situation. Its like “smaller evil”. But how many people would really care ?
Not only I am a lifetime non-smoker, I hate smoking with a passion BUT I do not agree with legislation telling people how to act in their private lives. If a person wishes to smoke, on their own, in car and are not inflicting the poisons onto a third party, then it is nobody’s business but their own.
I agree with Dagmara 🙂 this is true that people should act in their private lives how they want. Smoking is very harmful as well for your health as for environment but every human should decide on their own what is good for him or her.
I agree with that law. For me smoking in a car with open windows it’s the same as smoking at the bus stop or in the restaurant. People have right to breathe fresh air. Why my health is less important than somebody’s nicotine dependence?? Why some people want to have right to decide If I breathe air pollution or other fumes??
Lung cancer acts in somebody’s private life, not laws like this.
I think that introducing the law which will ban smoking in the cars is a good idea. The research shows that the levels of toxins in a car can be higher than in a smoky bar. The second-hand smoke can increase the risk of lung cancer, asthma etc. In my opinion the ban for smoking in cars it’s a good way to protect drivers and passengers (especially children) from breathing in toxins. I believe that legislation may lead to encourage people to change their behavior.
In my opinion it is great idea. When people smoke in a car it haven’t got good innfluence for other passangers. Our road will be safer because when you do everything in one time your concentration falls… Some drivers will do it even it will be illegal…
I’m a driver and I agree with ban on smoking in cars. When we are driving we shouldn’t smoke. It can influence on our focus. We have to focus on driving, not smoking. If we smoke we can be danger to others. People while smoking pay less attention what is happening around them. If they want to smoke they should stop the car. Maybe that new law should be introduce to our law. In my opinion it’s not a bad idea. Moreover smoking has bad influence to our healthy. If they want to do that in their privacy life it’s ok for me but if they are doing this while driving I have to say no. I don’t want to die on road because someone has to find his lighter.
I’m also a driver, and I must admit, that I used to smoke in car. Currently I don’t have a car. Not due to smoking in car=accident, I just sold it. Smoking in car was not risky, for me, and for other road users. I know that smoking is unhealthy etc. I can understand ban in public areas. But In that case, we have dangerous example of encroachment in private life of citizens by government. And for me, thats enough to condemn ideas like this. They should ban doing makeup in car. Thats a real hazard;)
I do agree with it, but we need to be careful with limiting human rights. Your car is you own property so it’s really hard to tell poepole what they can and what they can’t do inside it. On the other hand, smoking discracts your attention, and may couse accidents. On the other hand I don’t see any reason to forbid passengers smoking, when there is no child inside. It doesn’t affect anything. To sum up, I would say that banning smoking in cars is a good idea, but only when your actually driveng the car. (by the way we have already done that in Poland:)
I am smoker myself, but I think it’s good law becouse there is time and place for smoking, and deffinetly it is not car or other place that may be used by others. Sad part is that it has to be controlled by law, becouse i think it should be the case of well behaviour.
I’m not a smoker, but I will try to objectively comment this article. Firstly, I disagree with the argument which says that smoking in car distracts of driving. Obviously, we need to use both hands to drive safely, but cigarette in one of them does not hinder to keep it on the weel or use the gearbox. Secondly, who said that all of the drivers have the children. This argument is simply stupid. Maybe we should ban parents to smoke in house too? It sounds ridiculous! Of course, I understand that smoking is very toxic. It is not good for our health and people around us, especially children. It also can disturb another people who don’t smoke. It is not pleasant to smell like the cigarettes or to breathe tabacco smoke in, so I think that the ban which was introduced in Poland concerning smoking in public places was good.
But in conclusion, I disagree with the idea of introducing a ban smoking in cars. Your car is your property, so this law contravenes our rights.
When they banned smoking in public I was not pleased but I could see the point, other people have just a much right to be in club or pub as me without inhaling my smoke. However, a car is PRIVATE property that I own and I am the only person that has a right to be in it. Anyone else is there by invitation and if they don’t want to inhale my smoke they can well walk. The obvious next step as well is banning smoking in homes, pretty soon the only place we’ll be able to smoke is in the middle of nowhere..
I am an opponent to this bill of law. I can agree that talking mobile phone during driving a car is dangerous but when we talk about smoking I have different opinion. It’s normal act like eating or drinking during driving a car, what is not banned. Following that sentence maybe British government should also forbid that things?! That would be strictly absurdity!
On the other hand car is some kind of private area and opinions like this bill of law is to protect children’s health is a little bit overstatement… Maybe British should also ban smoking inside a house during presence of child? I think all of us can agree that that would be insane!
I agree in some cases such as the threat to safety or health of children. But I believe that it is necessary to solve the problem through public education rather than through legislation. Authority should teach and educate, but not necessarily as much detail should interfere in the life of society
The somebody’s car is its own space. It’s a little bit like forbidding somebody to smoke in their own flat. Smokers can not smoke on the bus stop, in restaurants, clubs, now also in their own cars? Generally, I can totally agree with that, because I’m not a smoker. But, if I were, I would perceive this kind of ban as a limitation of my personal freedom.
Smoking in the car certainly endanger the safety at the time of the accident. When the airbag is activated causing Level 3 burns and even death. May distract the driver while driving, which could cause an accident. Also, it gives more options to control the service uniformed drivers. I think it is not only taking care of health and safety, but also a way to cash in on the mandates.
They say that smoking while driving is dangerous for you and for the people around you. For me it is stupid opinion. I’m a driver and smoker. I know that it can distract me from driving as well as for example listening to music. So maybe we should ban it too? In fact, everything can be dangerous if we are not careful. So the only thing I can say about that is: Please, don’t overreact and stay on the ground. 🙂
We all know how harmful impact on helath has smoking. However, only a few people realize how dangerous could be smoking during driving. The situation is paradoxical when parents protect seemingly their child from an accident i.e. they fasten seatbelts or buy child seat. At the sam time they contribute to the tragedy by smoking in the car. During driving there are many factors which disturb driver’s attention. It is very important to concentrate as well as we can because we cannot predict what possibly may happen on the road. We must remember that quickness of response can save not only our live. A proverb “It is easy to wise after the event” will have very unpleasant consequences, especially in this example, where human life is a stake.
I think that smoking should be ban also in Poland. It is very dangerous while driving to smoke cigarettes. It is a very similar situation like talking on the phone in the car. Another think that is very bad about smoking it is very unhealthy to smoke when you have passengers. They are passive smoker and it especially dangerous for children. Very important thing is that when people smoke they usually throw cigarettes out the window and it can make lots of damages like fire or it can be harmful to the environment. I hope that soon smoking in the cars will be ban in Poland.
Generally, I’m not a smoking person. I have no idea which side I should choose. I think that banning smoking in cars is a good way to keep our air cleaner. I’m not sure if smoking and driving at the same time is really a danger on the road. But still, cigarettes are unhealthy, and ban smoking in cars will reduce making all of those fumes. Moreover, inside of smoking person’s car smells so badly.
All in all, this may be treated by smokers like some kind of attack on their private lives. However, I think…maybe polish government should think about this idea of banning smokin in cars..?
I believe that the ban of smoking in cars is a very good idea. Drivers are distracted while using mobile phones, so they can be also distracted by smoking while driving a car. The roads are dangerous and become more and more dangerous because of it (using phones, smoking while driving and not paying attention at the road sings etc.). The toxicity smoke is really dangerous for children and that’s why an adult who smokes cigarettes should not do it in precense of a child, because children are exposed to secondhand smoke, which is worse than active smoke. If a smoker drives alone, he can afford a cigarette. I do not consider a new law, which will ban smoking in a cars as interference in the private lives of people, but I think it is just taking care of road safety.
I used to smoke but very rare in my car. Not only because of the smell or health but the reason was that I was less concentrated on driving while having a cigarette. That is why I was smoking only when I got stuck in a traffic jam. Nevertheless I don’t approve such rules, because such regulation are going too far in peoples decisions.
A great deal of people smoke cigarettes not only in public places but also in cars while travelling to work. They are all convinced that smoking has a lot of benefits. First of all they claim that thanks to them they can relax, relieve the stress of everyday life and try to stop think about troubles. I reckon that the government should ban smoking in cars for several reasons. One of them is that smokers are even not conscious that they poison not only themselves but also other people which surrounds them. Smoking while driving poses a great danger for other traffic drivers. Many people who are smoking in cars are focus on the cigarette.
Smoking should be completely banned in public places! Personally I’m a non-smoker and very upset me is the fact that many people smoke for example on the street and do not see the cigarette smoke goes directly to the people who are close by. When it comes to smoking in the car I think it should be banned while driving for safety reasons. Smoking is both distracting while driving and harm other passengers. If someone wants to poison yourself go ahead but do not harm the people around you. Smoking in the presence of children is completely irresponsible.
Smoking bans in private vehicles exist to protect passengers from secondhand smoke and to increase road traffic safety, e.g. by preventing the driver from being distracted by the act of smoking. Private vehicles are used by individuals for personal transportation; smoking bans in private vehicles are less common than bans extended to public transport or vehicles used during work, like trucks or police cars. But I think that, car is private place so I Can do what I can. This is my life and my health