To think that smoking in a car with children should be made illegal!

[longbay]

Was sitting in my car at the traffic lights, when another car pulled alongside me with a baby (approx 9-12 months) sitting in the back. The man driving the car was smoking. All the windows were up except his which was open a couple of inches.
Firstly I was absolutely shocked that people still smoke near children let alone trapped in a car. Then I felt real anger & rage that I couldn't do anything about what I had seen. AIBU to feel so enraged by that man's behavior? I want to start a petition but wouldn't have a clue how?!

Agreed!
Tell me where to sign.

its vile, my mum and dad used to smoke in the car when i was a child - it made me sick to my stomach.

How would it get policed?

Well it's already illegal to smoke in work vehicles yet people still do so I doubt they'd pay any attention to that either unfortunately

It's absolutely vile.
Could it not be policed in the same way as seatbelt and mobile phone laws... You can be pulled over for that, so why not for smoking?

It just makes me sick that a baby/ child has no option but to inhale the smoke. It is so reckless and selfish! How can anyone justify it? I think you should be able to report it just like you would if you saw erratic driving etc It makes you wander how they 'care' for their child at home?

here

Good point KateSmate except as well as getting a fine and points they should also be given a warning that if caught again that they can be charged with something more serious like neglect???

I'm just not sure there's any point - if you're smoking in a car with a baby, I'm guessing you're not smoking outside - or at any great distance from the baby - at home.

Thanks for the link LEM. Good to know someone's bothered about it!

Phoolani you can't see what happens behind closed doors so you're right what's the point? The point is in public these people need to know that it is totally unacceptable to smoke in a metal box with a child. It's impossible to stop all wrong doing but if it happens in front of you then surely we should be challenging it?

It is illegal here thank goodness. Hated seeing it.

Yanbu. Smoking within 20 metres of children should be banned imo.

YANBU.

Smokers are the most selfish people out there!!

It is illegal here in Canada. Policed the same way mobile phones bans are policed. Perfectly do-able.

Smoking within an confined space with children should be illegal - ie inside same room as a child. But what to do if its discovered? Take children into care? With cars easy as can lose licence.

I'd love to say YNBU, but if I did that I'd be condemning my DDad who chain smoked, in the car and everywhere else.

And I know how much he hated himself for getting addicted to cigarettes in the first place (he firmly disapproved of drinking and drugs and knew he was a total hypocrite), but that is the strength of addictions.

So I'd have to say I support education, but not prosecution.

If you take someone's driving licence you often lose them their job, that's really a lot OTT.

Smoking near babies and small children isn't the best thing in the world, but it's not on a par with drink driving or doing 50 mph past the school entrance.

YANBU. Selfish behaviour to the extreme. People who do this to babies and children should face severe consequences. End of.

I think they want to make it illegal in Wales. I remember it being in the news a while back. Not sure what happened thou.

longbay - I would hope that any legislation would come from the point of protecting the child, rather than primarily shaming the wrong-doer. and protecting a baby in a metal box for an hour at a time every so often won't really make much difference to a child who sits in a room at home for 24 hours a day breathing in smoke fumes. I'd rather we spent the money/time/energy educating those who need it about the dangers of smoking per se around babies/children. tho I have to say, I'm not really against the law as such - you only have to think about smoking in pubs to understand how law can change behaviour and attitudes - but I think it has to backed up by more general efforts.

Yanbu - and I say that as an ex smoker who used to smoke in the car (no dc and 99.9% of the time I was in my own).

Dm smoked in the car when my sister and I were children, and still refuses to acknowledge that she wasp so oubliette in the wrong. I know I'm going to have ww3 on my hands if DH and I ever have dc as she will want to take them out in the car, and she refuses to not smoke behind the wheel.

I don't understand why they don't just make smoking and DRIVING illegal... It's not different/distracting to use a mobile phone! Well maybe it is a bit but YADNBU OP. Saw exactly the same thing the other day- wanted to get out the car and scream at him

**ANY different/distracting.

If you take someone's driving licence you often lose them their job, that's really a lot OTT.

No the person who chooses to break the law has lost themselves a job. There is a choice NOT to break a law if it exists.