Why are people who smoke when driving not getting fined or points on there license yet mobile phone users are?

Answer 1

This annoys me just as much as mobile phone users. This should also be banned. Smoking should be banned altogether in my opinion. But that's just what I think.

Answer 2

The short answer is get a Bluetooth earpiece.
The long answer is that smoking, like alchohol and many other things are dangerous no matter what. Despite this, as long as these billion dollar companies hold sway over politics and lobbyists, nothing will change.
Know this: If cell phone companies had that kind of pull in Washington, there would be grooves installed in steering wheels which would have buttons on it for dialing, mute, volume up, down and speakerphone, like some vehicle radios.

Answer 3

Two reasons.

1. It's not the fact that you are only using 1 hand, its because studies and road deaths have shown that talking on a mobile phone is very duistracting. Its more distracting than talking to a passenger because on the phone, you tend to switch off and detatch yourself from what you are doing. Have a chat to the person next to you, and then to a person on the phone and you will feel the difference.

2. You can be convicted for smoking a cigarette, changing the radio, eating an apple etc if it has been deemed to be 'dangerous driving'

Answer 4

I've smoked at the wheel since I was 17....never hit a thing, but did once set my leg on fire.

Use my handfree quite a lot too.

2,000,000 miles to date, and nothing dramatic has happened.

Could it be that some people are such unnatural drivers, they would distracted by a fly crawling across the speedo?

If we intend to ban all possible distractions, could we please make a start on children travelling in cars?

Then we should next make it illegal for the emergency services to talk on the radio....then pilots in the air........traction-engine drivers throwing lumps of coal on the fire etc etc.

Where does it stop? With a red flag held by a pedestrian, warning everyone about the danger of approaching traffic?

Has the world gone barking-mad?


Edit: You do realise that smoking in a vehicle is banned in Scotland if the vehicle is part of "the workplace?"

I ignore it of course! If the jobsworths have nothing better to do, let them try and stop me.

Answer 5

I think mobile phone users definetly should be fined. I almost got run-over by some stupid woman on her phone. It was a green man, and so I crossed the street. She was having some kind of very animated chat, and stepped on her pedal. I just managed to hop out the way in time.

Smokers should be fined too though. For some reason eating an apple when driving is illegal, but having a hot burning smoking stick sticking out of your mouth is not.

Answer 6

wow there some anti-smokers on here!! i always smoke while driving and never had a accident due to it, it not the same as talking on the phone, smoking is second nature to most smokers and it does not distract out attention from the road ahead. what next, banning u from changing the radio, changing CD? and i own my car so it my right to smoke in it!

Answer 7

Have you ever had to say 'hold on......' to someone while you're doing something which suddenly gets more complicated? That's because you can't have a conversation and think quickly about something else at the same time. That's why it is dangerous to use a mobi & drive. You CANNOT do both! Smoking (Whether you approve or not) is an almost entirely automatic activity, & if they made that illegal, they'd need to make it illegal to operate your CD,heater,or even scratch your bum when driving.

Answer 8

Smoking does not divert your attention as a mobile phone does. Although they are trying to ban this too.

Answer 9

dont tell me you have never ate or drank while driving?? I bet you have which can be just as distracting as smoking
using a phone means you only have one hand free as the other is up at your ear.
If your smoking while driving your hand is still free to steer the wheel with no fuss.

plus i dont know of any accidents caused because the driver was smoking, but I have heard of them from eating sandwiches etc.

Answer 10

I can hold a smoke and drive no problem.To talk on the phone and drive is a NO NO because it is a distraction.