Do you agree that drivers should be banned from smoking in their own cars?

Question

There is pressure for the government to ban people smoking whilst driving. Do you agree? How would it be enforced?

Answer 1

Three questions here.

#1: No. Drivers should not be banned from smoking in their cars.
#2. No. I don't agree. If smoking ever becomes illegal, then fine, but as it stands smoking is legal, and people have a right to do it in their own private space. I suppose you can argue that someone can drop a cigarette and get in a wreck, but the truth is that cigarettes cause a very small proportion of accidents. Where does the government's attempts to control our behavior stop? And how would we pay for the enforcement of such a law anyway? Cops have enough trouble without adding this to their long list of things they could never accomplish in a day for such cruddy pay.
#3. It shouldn't. See above.

And no, I am not a smoker. Keep the smokers' cancer sticks out of public buildings, but let them do whatever the heck they want when they are in their cars. This law is not going to save enough lives to make it worth it.

Answer 2

Well, we can ban use of cell phones in cars without headsets, which I think is reasonable because there are some people that can't talk and drive with one hand. I'm guilty of that, but I have a headset in case that becomes a law in my state.

Smoking has the same risk, and maybe even more considering that if you drop your smoke then a number of things could happen to cause you to have a wreck. Smokers would argue that their car is a personal space and would infringe on their rights. I agree with that too, even though the law would make the roads safer.

I believe, in order to get around that arguement, there should be a heavily enforced law against one-handed driving, unless you only have one hand. That would take care of the cell phone users as well.

Answer 3

I am not sure if you mean the british government or not. But my opinion is for safety yes it makes sense and smoking could prove as a distraction whilst driving, but compared with mobile phones as you don't attually have to concentrate to smoke its probably not as bad. (i personally don't smoke)

From a health point of view theres not a strong enough arguement to enforce a ban like that, as it only effects a small group of people. However I feel anyone who plans to light up a ciggerette in a car should always ask the other passengers first out of courtesy, after all they might be concerned about their health and not want to smell like an ash tray at the end of the journey.

Answer 4

It's one of the next steps isn't it after the smoking in enclosed area ban and the not using mobile phones by drivers being illegal.Not smoking in cars would be nothing to do with health issues but purely road safety . If it is unsafe to use a phone,it must also be unsafe to root about in your pockets for the cigarettes, open the packet, extract a cigarette and put it in your mouth, go through the same motions to find your lighter or matches ,light the cigarette and all this without taking your eyes off the road and at the same time holding the steering wheel and maintaining control at all times.IT is a dangerous cycle of actions.It would be a job to enforce a no smoking rule.Would a passenger be allowed to smoke?Would a passenger be allowed to light a cigarette and then place it in the drivers mouth?As regards mobiles they are only illegal to use in a car if it is the driver who uses it. It is legal for a passenger to use the phone and relay the message to the driver.The answer may be that it is not legal to travel alone. You must have a companion.The mind boggles, where does it all end.

Answer 5

i can work out 2 facets to this. Healthwise - I honestly have under no circumstances been a smoker, yet while somebody desires to intentionally injury their very own wellbeing, then this is their prerogative. Safetywise - i think of smoking a cigarette, on an identical time as utilising a automobile, is much greater risky than utilising a cellular telephone on an identical time as utilising. I honestly have considered human beings honestly getting a cigarette out of the packet, lights the cigarette and all on an identical time as utilising a automobile. If a lit cigarette dropped interior the driving force's lap or on the floor, he would not be waiting to regulate the automobile for attempting to handle the cigarette. A automobile is a unfavourable weapon and the driving force desires to pay interest in any respect cases. I do think of smoking on an identical time as utilising could be banned.

Answer 6

I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want as long as it doesn't affect anyone else. Does smoking effect others? That's the $20,000 question. I don't smoke and I WANT people to smoke in their cars but with the windows rolled up. I have asthma really bad and I'm always stopping at a red light and struggling to close my window cuz the guy/girl next to me is smoking with their hand out the window causing their smoke to drift into my car. I wonder how much damage smokers do to their kids. I don't think they will ever know due to the fact there will never be enough funding to research why these kids have so many health problems, asthma being one of them. I wish nobody smoked but if they want to kill THEMSELVES, go for it....but not me. sry...

Answer 7

I am not a smoker, but even so I do not agree that it should be banned. What people do in their own cars is up to them isnt it? Im sure the cigarettes smoked in other peoples cars are not damaging peoples health as much as the exhaust fumes are! It could never be enforced anway. What would you do, have police cars following every car all day to check that they are not "breaking the law"?

Answer 8

Well, if your car is parked and your taking a smoke break, i dont think the government can do much to ban that, as it is private property and to a certain extent, we need to have our own freedom to choose whether or not we want to light up. They can raise the ciggarette prices, ban smoking in 80% of restaurants and cafes, have multiple smoking campaigns but at the end of the day people have to be smart enogh to make their own choice. But when it comes to their own homes and their own cars, we really can't force them to choose between saving money or lung cancer.

Answer 9

No, what people do in their own car, as long as it doesn't majorly effect their ability to drive, shouldn't be changed. Granted, I don't smoke, but I know that Michigan traffic can be horrible, and I know some people who 'need' a smoke to calm down.

And while there are people that want to ban smoking because it's like a person talking on a phone, by taking their hand off the wheel, why don't we ban eating in the car, drinking in the car, changing the heat/AC, and changing the radio? Those all cause you to take your hand off the wheel. I dunno, that's just my opinion.

Answer 10

Im from Ireland which has a nationwide ban on smoking in all indoor public places (Pubs, Office Blocks, Supermarkets etc.) This ban is supported by a huge majority of the population (including myself) according to surveys. But In the privacy of your own car there should not be a ban on smoking in my opinion. In your own private property you should be allowed smoke.