To think this latest call for a ban on smoking in cars is another example of bossy nanny state

[5Foot5]

First let me say that I am a non-smoker; I have always been a non-smoker; I do not like being in a smoky atmosphere and I would not tolerate smoking in my house or my car.

But that is my house, my car and my choice.

Today's papers carry a story that "leading" doctors and the Chief Medical Officer want a ban on smoking in all cars because of a study showing the connection between passive smoking in children and asthma attacks.

Now I realise that asthma is a dangerous and distressing illness and I have sympathy for the sufferers and their families. But surely any parent of an asthmatic, if they have any common sense, would already be doing their utmost to ensure that the children live and travel in a smoke-free environment. If there are parents who are stupid and selfish enough to ignore the advice and continue to smoke around their asthmatic children, surely that is the problem to be addressed?

More could be done to help those children by targetting and educating the parents who are the problem, rather than penalising the population at large who want to indulge their vice in the privacy of their own car where they are harming noone but themselves. It seems madness to me that someone who is not an asthmatic, has no family members who are and who never gives a lift to anyone who is, should be prevented from smoking in their car and to suggest that this will somehow protect other childrens health.

Frankly I think this latest twist is just another attempt by the health fascists to stamp out a behaviour that they disapprove of. A ban on smoking in cars has been suggested before and not been carried forward. This latest attempt is cynically using the children's health angle because they see that as a more emotive issue that might win support where they failed before.

If this ban went through then I would not be personally affected in any way but it still makes me irritated that there are people who think it is their right to dictate to the rest of us what we should and shouldn't be doing for our own good.

Rant over!

That is NuLabour for you.

good idea, I think in general. but how to enforce it?

YABU, smoking should be banned. You'd be suprised at the amount of people who smoke around, in cars etc, children. Unless you are standing in the middle of a field, or somewhere very empty for a good 100 yards some poor sod is having to put up with the fumes too.

I think you should ban the eating of lollipops in cars. Sudden break and......

Come to think of it, you should ban all eating by children in cars.

It's obviously utterly unworkable. However, let's be clear: it was medics who made the proposal, NOT the govt, so nothing to do with new labour (or the other side). You could say that it's the job of doctors to come up with ideas about improving people's health; it's the job of govts to take up the highest priorities that are feasible (and affordable) and pass on the information about the rest.

I'm all for people taking responsibility for themselves. But I can imagine the headlines in the tabloids pronouncing this nanny-statism on the day that a child begins treatment for some horrible respiratory disease induced by parental smoking in the car.

i thought there was already a law on holding stuff while driving anyway?

technicalyl mobile phones were covered under that, but the new law targetted them specifically, which is obv what they want to do with cigarettes too

but i remember a guy being pulled for eating a kitkat!

They are probably smoking in their cars as when the get where they are going smoking will be banned there!

"They are probably smoking in their cars as when the get where they are going smoking will be banned there! "

my heart bleeds.

How about we ban children from cars? How many are killed and injured each year in road traffic accidents?

Na, smoking. I wanna pick on the smokers.

Completely unworkable, but I wish it could work! My dad smokes in the car, and even though he'll open the window, I detest how it makes my clothes smell.

Dunno how it's unworkable - they banned hand held mobiles and driving. (at the same time )

I was injured in a car crash a few years ago when a woman didn't stop at a junction because she was too busy lighting a fag.

I think stupid people should be banned from cars.

And smoking was banned from where they came. And smoking was banned outside the building from where they came. And smoking was banned on the grounds of the building from where they came, where the car park was.

And smoking is banned in the building they are going to, and outside the building they are going to, and in the grounds of the building they are going to, which includes the car park.

Given that smoking is an addiction and for many not actually a choice 'hobby'. I get a bit fed up with them being vilified and treated like vermin without proper decent support to kick the habbit. The government supported 'giving up campaigns' are largely based on marketing and selling an alterntaive addicted product, which has shown to be pretty ineffective and cracking the addiction or even kicking the habbit for very long.

just ban cars full stop

that was the one ciggy i enjoyed - the one in my car, no kids, no anyone else, music on, sighs

sometimes i miss my menthol mental cigarettes and it has been many many years since i stopped smoking.

Herion use is an addiction, but I wouldn't want to be injected myself as a by-product of someones addiction. I may be 'addicted' to going round bashing people over the head, but it doesn't make it right or acceptable. (I'm not, hypothetical situation).

Get out of your car and turn that engine off before you tell me about fumes.

Do you know what your car does to poor innocent little children?

And that's not counting when one of you drivers runs one over cos you're so busy checking out the other drivers to see if they are smoking.

I don't think you can compare car fumes to smoking fumes. I may aswell tell you to stop eating beans and farting. Or indeed stop drinking milk and eating beef, so we have less cows farting away killing us all. Yes cars suck, hence the 'electic' car movement but, come on, it's always open season on smoking

they should either

leave smokers alone, and let them smoke the fags they paid for in thier car/house whatever

OR

make smoking illegal full stop and stop selling them

I hate the way the government are happy to tax ciggarettes to the hilt so they make a bloody fortune from them, but won't let the smokers actually smoke their fags anywhere!

You are not actually allowed to hold an apple or a sandwich while you are driving, so I've never understood how it's OK to hold a lit cigarette. You aren't in full control of the car and if you drop it you have a major problem.

Personally I get sick of sitting behind someone in a traffic jam where they've got the window open a crack and they are tapping their ash out of it. I always find the fumes get sucked into my car by the fan (same can be said for older smelly car exhausts).

So quite aside from the children's health angle I don't think drivers should be allowed to smoke in cars.

well said onagar

My objection is not that just that a ban would be unworkable (which it probably would) but just that I think it would be plain wrong. Smoking might be a dirty, smelly habit that can make you ill, but if you are doing it where you can't harm anyone else then I really don't think it is anyones right to interfere.

And as to the arguments about it being dangerous, well you don't have to travel very far down that route before you ban just about any activity in a car other than driving it. Listening to music, blowing your nose, travelling with small children....

I agree about drivers not smoking though - I used to smoke and I never smoked while driving because I couldn't see how it could be done safely.