Child Car Smoking Ban ?

[mikey4444]

Labour will today, in the House of Lords, try to start the process to ban smoking in cars with children inside them today ::

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25939908

Seems like a sensible idea to me, although the tobacco lobby predictably don't agree. ( surprise, surprise ! ) Anybody here on AB think that smoking in a car with children is a good thing ?

[gness]

Dylanfanatic is correct......the "morons" should be concentrating their minds elsewhere and shouldn't have to be considering this.

Unfortunately there are people who are so ignorant and self centred that laws have to be made to protect those who can't speak for themselves when common sense should prevail.

No-one should need to be told not to fill a car with a child in it with cigarette smoke surely?

[youngmafbog]

Smoking in cars should be banned full stop.

It is a dangerous habit and fag ends often just lobbed out the window.

some 'g*t' lobbed once out of the window and just missed me on my bike the other week.

[DrFilth]

andy-hughes some people think the same about drinkers

[kendra20]

I am a smoker myself but never smoke in my car or allow anyone else to, it makes it stink. Nor do I smoke in my house if there are children there or adults who don't smoke. I think all smokers should show respect to other people. I enjoy my ciggies but don't expect anyone else to.

[LazyGun]

I would not be keen on bringing in legislation that would be hard to enforce. What next? Hard stops of vehicles where the occupant is smoking, on the suspicion a child is in the car?

I would agree that smoking in a confined space is not good for any kids in the car, but would rather see the focus remain on cotinuing to encourage smoking cessation in the public as a whole, rather than on a specific, hard to police, hard to enforce measure like this.

Pretty sure I read somewhere that we are now at an all-time historic low for adult smokers in this country - under 20%- which is good.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/jul/19/smoking-england-adults-tobacco-prices

[emmie]

i dont know anyone who does it, most smoke when they are alone,

[rockyracoon]

Walking the dog in the morning I've noticed a massive increase in the amount of school kids that smoke, they mustn't care less what their parents think at all.

[emmie]

that is also the problem, how many youngsters take up the habit.

[ChillDoubt]

Don't see where 'hard stops' would come into it LG.
I've never been involved in nor seen a hard stop for no seatbelt, using mobile phone, ignoring red light or driving light not illuminated etc.
I have though been involved in stopping drivers by indicating to them that I wished them to stop by activating the Special Warning Devices when a violation has occurred.
This will be as easy to enforce as any other legislation i.e. Witnessed by a Police Officer.

[China Doll]

I think it's a heavy handed approach to something that most smokers probably wouldn't do and would be impossible to police - so no, I guess not a great thing.

[LazyGun]

@Chill Doubt. Hyerbolic excess on my part, Chill, to illustrate a point.

Point I was making was that I do not believe that the introduction of further legislation is necessary or useful, given that the overall trend in smoking cessation continues downwards.

The DoH itself doubts the measure will be particularly effective
"The Department of Health has said it believes education campaigns are a better way to discourage people from smoking around children"

[stewey]

There has been a law regarding this for a few years now in Ontario. One amusing incident involved a cop pulling over a car, and while he was writing the mother a ticket for smoking, the 15 year old passenger casually lit up a cigarette!

[viv38]

I agree with it 100%.

[craft1948]

I'd just put the child in the boot.............

[LazyGun]

@Craft "I'd just put the child in the boot............"

Gets my vote for best answer ! :)

[Baldric]

I'll second that! ^^^^^^^

[viv38]

Hope it becomes law soon ....

[LazyGun]

Putting kids in the boot? I agree, Viv :)

[mikey4444]

Gness..its probably the same group of people who the authorities had in mind when they passed seatbelt laws, and especially the laws about putting children in child safety seats. Amazing how stupid some people can be, which is exactly why we need laws in the first place.

Although, to listen what some people have been saying on here today, all those child protection laws were and are a waste of time "because the Plods can't enforce them "

[LazyGun]

"Although, to listen what some people have been saying on here today, all those child protection laws were and are a waste of time "because the Plods can't enforce them"

Now now, mikey. Seatbelts affect everyone who travels in a car - not just a minority of the population. Plus which seatbelts protect against collisions and have a demonstrable health benefit.

The potential harms of a child exposed to passive smoke from, say one cigarette smoked in a car, say once a week - how harmful is that again?

I would rather the government continue to focus on general nudge factors to encourage smoking cessation, rather than specific legislation that is not going to be easy to enforce.