Smoking At The Wheel.

[derekpara]

Do you think the dangers of smoking whilst driving are sufficient to warrant a ban ?

[maggiebee]

Definitely not. The self righteous brigade at it again?

[Togo]

Yes I do Derek. I am a smoker but never have smoked in my car, not even when stationary. Lighting up and driving at the same time is dangerous. As for the people who actually roll their own whilst driving.....madness.

[naomi24]

10ClarionSt, not banned, but people have been fined for eating at the wheel – even when their vehicle was stationary.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3406669/Driver-pay-145-eating-banana-wheel.html

[EDDIE51]

Yes it should be banned!
I have seen a newspaper report of a fatal car crash where the reason was that the driver was smoking at the wheel and dropped the lighted cigarette onto their lap where it started to burn their clothes.
It is already illegal to smoke in a car with a child (under 16) as a passenger , this applies to other passengers as well as the driver.

[gingejbee]

...remove the words "whilst driving" from your question....they're superfluous....

[hc4361]

Accidents have been caused by drivers smoking. Smoking was a factor in this fatal accident:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/fatal-moments-lorry-driver-smokes-9465426

Fumbling for the cigarette pack, lighter and lighting up are all distractions. A dropped cigarette causes a panic as does a discarded cigarette blowing back in through the window it was thrown out of.

[EDDIE51]

A car used to deliver goods as a courier for example is classed as a 'workplace' so smoking is banned anyway in those circumstances.

[hc4361]

Unless the courier is self employed, owns his own vehicle and never carries passengers in the course of his work, and nobody else drives the vehicle for business purposes, Eddie

[derekpara]

Maggiebee, ' The self-righteous brigade at it again?'

It was a reasonable question for debate. If all you can do is to be offensive and haven't the ability to join in with a reasoned response, as others have on here, then don't bother.

[Islay]

no

[TWR]

I was a smoker 20 years back but never found it a distraction, what about changing gear, looking at Satnavs, talking to a passenger if there's one in the car etc, in my own opinion, this is going a bit silly.

[Cloverjo]

Of course it's a distraction. Looking for the fag packet, finding the lighter, watching out for the ash that might fall, stubbing the thing out or chucking it out of the window with the risk that it might come back in and burn someone.
Yes, there are also distractions by changing the radio channel, eating sweets, chatting etc. but what's wrong with banning the smoking one for a start?

[TWR]

Clov, from getting into the car to driving the thing there are lots of distractions, talking on hands free, more often now the radio can be changed by a Toggle on the steering wheel, Dropping the window, I can understand the concern but it's getting out of hand, something on your mind, did I check the oil / water / tyres / can I miss that pot hole, that's a point, can we start a post about Pot holes? Sorry for diverting your post Derek.

[waterboatman]

Smoking while driving in military vehicles is banned, if caught doing so will find the driver on a charge.

[derekpara]

Unless you drop your fag onto your crotch area I don't think smoking is as much of a distraction as using a hand-held mobile phone, and there are probably enough laws to cover 'insufficient control of a motor vehicle' if lighting up on the move.

On a personal note, I hate being in a smoker's car and consider it dangerous to light up or drive with one hand on the wheel whilst the other is holding the fag out of the window.

Thanks for your opinions.

D

[mikey4444]

I can't see how a ban would be Policed ?

We have lots of existing motoring laws, like wearing seat belts, not using hand held devices, not smoking in cars with young children and as far as I can see, these are widely ignored, speeding in built-up areas, etc.

So what would be the point of have another unenforceable law ?

[woofgang]

I find this question a little unclear. Do you mean that a driver who is found guilty of smoking while driving should be banned from driving? or do you mean that smoking while driving should be made illegal?

[maggiebee]

derekpara - my comment was not meant to be offensive. I was just pointing out that you're damned if you do and damned if you don't these days. Sorry I didn't join in the debate, it's just that some of us work and can't sit at the computer all day. Sorry if that offends you.

[gness]

Having been a passenger when a friend lit then dropped her cigarette between the seats I'm not keen on drivers smoking.....she panicked and we ended up on the pavement.....
Maybe not a ban....but a sprinkler system above the driving seat?.... ;-)