Tyre smoke the only smoke allowed
Smoking as you drive to be banned?
The Department of Health has that it would seriously consider a ban, as are, apparently, the authorities in Germany, Australia and America. The move was backed by anti-smoking campaigners but has drawn criticism from others as an attack on personal freedom. As of 1st July, England will join the rest of the UK in introducing a ban on smoking in enclosed public places and the workplace.
The association claims that drivers are in danger when they take their hands off the wheel to find, light and smoke cigarettes, especially if a lit cigarette or ash falls in the car or is blown back through the window. The organisation, which represents 180 of Britain's 200 local roads authorities, fears that once people who drive are stopped from lighting up in other places from 1 July, they will smoke more while in their own cars. It is aiming to meet transport officials within weeks to ask them to pass the ban.
'Driving is a complicated business, especially with the high volume of traffic motorists have to contend with these days. It's not an area where you can multi-task,' said Simon Ettinghausen, a spokesman for the association. He referred to the recent law banning the use of hand-held mobile phones in cars as an example in his opinion of how special bans were more effective than general road-safety legislation.
'In this country, we're libertarians, we like to give people freedoms, but if you are distracted unfortunately your freedom to do these things can affect other people's lives,' he added
The Department of Health said it was 'looking at how we can get further momentum towards smoking cessation beyond the introduction of the smoking ban in England'.
'We are looking at further proposals and this could be one of them. If the road safety officers put information and evidence before us about this, and explain the case for it, we would study it,' said a spokeswoman.
Amanda Sandford of the campaign group Action on Smoking and Health said: 'We fully support this proposal. Not so long ago it would have seemed inconceivable that we would have a total ban on smoking across the country, but in a few years time people will think it's inconceivable that we allow people to continue to smoke while driving.'
However, Andrew Lansley, the Conservative shadow Health Secretary, condemned the plan as a denial of citizens' rights to decide how they behave in their own personal space. 'Parliament hasn't accepted the completely anti-libertarian view that people can't do what they like in their own homes and own cars,' he said.
Paul Smith, founder of campaign group Safespeed, said: "I'm amazed that the Local Authority Road Safety Officers' Association (LARSOA) should propose such a thing - it shows the tragic state of road safety in the UK. Smoking at the wheel isn't a known cause of crashes - the risk is purely theoretical. The problem with chasing theoretical risks is that life saving resources are taken away from real causes of risk."
"One thing's for sure - while a Police officer is giving you a ticket for smoking at the wheel, he's not catching drunk drivers or stolen cars."
"We would also need to consider the new crash risks that a ban on smoking at the wheel might bring. Smokers can feel agitated or anxious when they need a cigarette and the last thing we need is more agitated or anxious drivers."
"All things considered a ban on drivers smoking is highly likely to increase road risks and I'm disgusted that LARSOA don't know better. They are playing with fire.
On the one hand, if I'm driving one of the fleet, not only will it be a criminal offence to smoke in the vehicle, punishable by a humongous fine, though no points, it is another criminal offence not to display a no smoking sign. It's also a criminal offence to smoke or fail to display sign even when vehicle used for personal business as many company car drivers do at the weekends for example.
On the other hand, if I'm driving one of my own cars, even when on business so it's legally a workplace there is no offence committed for smoking and no offence for lack of no smoking sign.
You just couldn't make it up!
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