smoking at the wheel,gov ROBBING THE MOTORIST AGAIN?

Question

what will be nxt. NO radio. NO children unless GAGGED,just another way to hit us in the pocket with fines.
and the law abiding motorist
will bend over and take it again and again just to stay on the road.
its legal robbery
why do we stand for it????????????

OPPSS i should of guessed id have all you NONE smokers jumping all over this one...but its not about smoking if you look through the smoke.
its about you right you silly little sheep.

WIDGIT..ive been driving for 30yrs never had a bump.
so it seems i can do 2 thing at once.
the brain is a great tool if you know how to use it.

Answer 1

Seriously.. can you not go the short time you are driving without a cigarette?

I'm not a smoker but I work all day from 8:30 - 5:15 and if I were a smoker I wouldn't be able to smoke in my office so why should you whinge about not being able to smoke in your car... if you need a cigarette that often, have one before you get in the car and as soon as you get out...

You call us silly sheep or whatever but do you not think you are the sheep for giving into peer pressure in the first place and taking up smoking..

Seriously, you smokers need to stop whinging about your personal rights and think of us non smokers who don't want to get lung cancer from second hand smoke (Roy Castle anyone?) and don't want to get in a car crash with someone who is more bothered about having a smoke than driving safely!

P.S. As for the person who related all non smokers to people who talk on their mobile phones... Anyone who does anything other than drive whilst they are at the wheel of a car is taking a risk and incase you don't know already, talking on a mobile phone whilst driving IS illegal so smoking should be as well!

Answer 2

i agree with you. in america , we are famous for fast food. you see so many people eating mcdonalds egg mcmuffin sandwiches in the morning on their way to work. i have seen guys take out electric razors and shave at stop lights. drinking coffee is still legal. i think that it is incredible that they have been able to outlaw it in some places while driving. to me the other activities are much more dangerous.

in america we can use cell phones, if we have handsfree device. i do know for a fact that cell phone companies employee lawyers that their job is just to lobby the states to try to keep it legal .

the bottom line is always money with any government. their money is tighter like everyone elses these days so they are looking for new sources of revenue. of course, the spin , they give it , is that these laws are for our own good. it's horse ****. no more / no less.

Bush has caused us to lose a lot of our privacy protections since 9/11. The propoganda of fear and brainwashing of citizens is out of control.

Our cops are corrupt. Go to utube and google all the videos made of police misconduct / police abuse.

I understand the UK has lost a lot of personal freedom too with all the spy cams set up all over the place.

I honestly , think , I will retire to a remote place / live low under the radar and only go to the mainland as needed.

Answer 3

I must admit I'm a non-smoker, but I have no objection to any driver smoking in his/her vehicle.

What I object to most strongly as a motorcyclist, is the inconsiderate arseholes who throw their *** ash out of the window.

Seems a waste of time manufacturers fitting ash trays, or if you are too lazy to use them, perhaps you are also too lazy to drive properly.

By the way, regarding rule148 of the highway code - the paragraph quoted also has the relevant road traffic act and associated legislation quoted in the Highway code, which adds the 'no smoking' ban to public transport vehicles and vehicles used for work, mainly if carrying passengers.

Its also going to be interesting in a few years time how many children sue their parents for the affects of passive smoking.

Answer 4

we stand for it as we have no brain of our own with which to understand the complicated ways our politicians think, this seems to me the way we tolerate the so called educated people, as an older person i have seen this country go so far down hill, because it seems that there are not enough responsible people, prepared to put themselves in the firing line to complain. To hell with politics, all the government seem to do is ,either tax us or tell us we can't do this or that cos we know better.As a voter is it not best for us to take matters into our own hand and front those idiots who think they know better, by attending there surgeries and making our thoughts known, instead all we do is complain and hope someone else will solve the problem for us. after all the government must know better,[they are educated] we are just the sheep who follow.

Answer 5

I agree entirely. For all the non smokers ( and, I suspect, some non-drivers too ) who've answered this question, let me make this point. Whether you approve or not, smoking is an addiction to a product which is sold legally and taxed heavily in the UK. The actions involved in smoking a cigarette are almost sub-conscious in terms of brain power ( hand-to-mouth, breathe in , breathe out) and cannot be compared to the distraction involved in operating a car's hi-fi, sat-nav, or even reading the speedometer, and as such, pose minimal levels of danger due to distraction.
Anybody who flies or even reads newspapers will know that 'air-rage' incidents have increased massively following a total ban on smoking. Would we not have a similar increase in road-rage if we banned otherwise mild-mannered smokers from getting their fix while driving?
Thinking about this has got me mildly outraged, I'm off to bonfire a Marlboro to calm down!!

Answer 6

I admit that I have always thought that smoking is a distraction whilst driving. As well as having to use one hand to hold the cigarette there is always the possibility that hot ash or even the cigarette itself could fall, causing a severe distraction to the driver. I really think it would be better to make smoking illegal whilst driving rather than leave the situation in limbo and dependent upon how the police view it.
If it is illegal to eat or drink whilst driving then I cannot see how smoking should be regarded differently.

Answer 7

I know the Govt. treats motorists like naughty children but, like others have mentioned, it can be dangerous. I can remember the many times I've dropped the cigarette while driving and then found myself frantically fumbling around trying to locate it in case it started a fire. You are distracted, you at moments,take your eyes of the road, you've got one hand on the wheel .Even if you do see where the ciggy is you have to bend down to try and retrieve it. Believe me, it is dangerous ,not only for you but for the other motorists on the road.

Answer 8

A friend of mine dropped his cigarette between his legs, and in his efforts to save the family jewels from a burn, he ran into a parked car. It could have been a cyclist, a pedestrian, or your mother he hit. This happens more often than you realize. If you don't consider that enough of an incentive to save your smoke until after you are parked, you obviously don't worry too much about the property, and the very lives of others.

Answer 9

Smoker`s, apart from being smelly the do create a lot of litter, just look at any car park and the butts,and packets that litter the area. And to be honest it is a welcome addition to the safety of the driver and the public that you should be driving with all due care and not driving with out care.

Answer 10

I thoroughly agree.
I am a moderate smoker, so like a cheroot on a long motorway journey., window partially open.
Also I have a "hands free" 'phone to say I'm running late or whatever.
I set the thing to 70mph on cruise control, and all is well.

I am already taxed to the hilt with "road fund licence",
silly amounts for insurance, and a downright rip-off at the petrol pumps.

Gods, I used to live in Oman, where there is no road tax, insurance is cheap but effective, and a tankful in my silly big TransAm was about £10

If they can do it, why can't we ?
It is all tax, more tax and nonesense.

What about a tax on young drivers flying around if they have a "BOOM-BOOM" noise emiting ?

I despair sometimes.

Bob

Answer 11

I'd guess you haven't actually read the new Highway Code which is out today. If you had, you'd realise that it does NOT say smoking at the wheel is illegal, it just reminds you that it can be considered as contributing to careless or dangerous driving, or not being in proper control, which always was the case.

PS I'm not saying it isn't daft or even dangerous, just pointing out that this story is floating around a lot today, having suffered from "Chinese Whispers" en route.