Should smoking be banned in cars?
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Should smoking be banned in cars?
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The BMA have called for smoking to be banned in cars and private vehicles http://www.bma.org.uk/health_promotion_ethics/tobacco/smokinginvehicles.jsp Libertarians and smokers alike have reacted negati
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Forums » Off duty » News & media » Should smoking be banned in cars?
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Should smoking be banned in cars?
posted at 16/11/2011 11:28 AM GMT
on bmj.com
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*Moderator*
Posts: 1436
First: 7/4/2011 Last: 17/5/2013 |
The BMA have called for smoking to be banned in cars and private vehicles http://www.bma.org.uk/health_promotion_ethics/tobacco/smokinginvehicles.jsp Libertarians and smokers alike have reacted negatively to this proposed ban, saying that it is not based on clear enough evidence and are concerned where such a ban would lead to next - Perhaps banning people from smoking in their own homes? However, do the rights of the smokers children count for anything? Or those around them? A car can be a confined space and the toxins of cigarettes are going to be potentially harmful to a developing body. When I was younger, I played football and the manager of the team gave me a lift to the away matches. He was a smoker and used to puff away on the journeys (with the window slightly open) and it was a very unpleasant experience. I held back from asking him to stop because I feared that if I told him off, I wouldn't get picked to play! But then again, smoking isn't the only thing that can cause cancer - what about the pollution caused by cars? Surely that has an effect on health? Also, how will the police enforce this? I still see a lot of people driving whilst using their mobile phones.... Is it fair to single out smoking? |
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Re: Should smoking be banned in cars?
posted at 16/11/2011 12:33 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1177
First: 19/4/2010 Last: 16/5/2013 |
It is illegal to use a mobile phone whilst driving - this is because it not only puts the texter's life at risk, but others in the car, and other road users. Makes sense. Should it be illegal to smoke in a car? As an adult I have the choice to travel in a car which does not have a smoker in it, so Mrs Miggins smoking in her car is unlikely to affect me. There may be an arguement that lighting up distracts the driver, but I think no more than changing the channel on the radio. When I get in a taxi I should be able to travel in a smoke free environment, and indeed now I can, so that's sorted. I remember that my driving instructor used to smoke whilst I was driving about, until I told him that I would take my business elsewhere unless he stopped... The difficulty comes with children. They have no choice whether to be a passenger with a smoking driver, or a non-smoking one. They, arguably, have the most to lose by being confined in a smoking environment. They cannot chose not to be in the car, or to go in a different car, or to drive themselves. So, I don't think it should be banned, as it does not infringe upon the rights of people who want to be in a smoke free car environment, but what do we do about the children? Is it a parent's right to expose their children to whatever they want? Another discussion for another thread, methinks.
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Re: Should smoking be banned in cars?
posted at 16/11/2011 12:46 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1345
First: 25/1/2009 Last: 16/5/2013 |
As an adult I have the choice to move away if another adult is smoking. Children do not have that choice, particularly when in cars with their parents / carers. |
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Re: Should smoking be banned in cars?
posted at 16/11/2011 1:11 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 478
First: 15/11/2008 Last: 21/8/2012 |
Only if you are using your mobile and eating a mcdonalds at the same time. Aside from that, if it is your personal car, then it is your personal space. For those that question that at times it will involve not having two hands on the steering wheel, then look at the following: 1. Driving a manual involves taking one hand off the wheel - so should car manufacturers only produce automatics? 2. Changing a radio station, volume etc also involves taking one hand off the wheel. 3. Smoking in company cars is banned in the UK 4. Smoking in your own car is no different to smoking in your own house. Many smokers now do not smoke in their own homes when children are around, so I suspect they apply the same rule to their cars. Lets move on from the nanny state and focus on bigger issues like bailing out our european friends who like to smoke, talk on their mobiles, gesticulate wildly, not wear seatbelts and eat healthier foods than us whilst behind the wheel of a car. |
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Re: Should smoking be banned in cars?
posted at 16/11/2011 4:28 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 134
First: 25/5/2011 Last: 17/5/2013 |
I reccomend that all read the introduction to the BMA's board of science briefing paper, Smoking in vehicles. "This briefing paper has been developed in response to a resolution from the British Medical Association's (BMA) 2011 Annual Representative Meeting (ARM), which supported a total ban on smoking in vehicles. The context to this resolution should be considered in light of the BMA's desire to achieve a tobacco-free society by 2035." There is an agenda here and it is clearly not for discussion. No longer does the profession merely wish to be scientific. The BMA, it appears, wishes to dictate the course of social history. What other changes to society and what other legislation for how people should live will be now be suggested, I wonder, based on "sound medical advice"? I again remind you of the American Medical Association and its misguided decision in 1917 to vote against the use of alcohol as a beverage, and so by this folly unwittingly give the Temperance movement sufficient momentum to embark on the disastrous experiment that was Prohibition. I will also again remind you of the astounding ill-judgement of doctors in 1977 who pronounced homosexuality to be an illness in the ICD 9. I would then challenge you to name one doctor who has distinguished themselves in politics with a track record of excellent decisions. And then to consider whether any resolution taken at a BMA conference should unquestioningly be made law. However well-intentioned. If we are to have a balanced discussion where all matters are considered, what is the point when the answer has already been handed down with a completion date of 2035? In my view the BMA has now become involved in questions of civil liberties and I do not believe that this was ever the original intention of the organisation. Why it is that my professional colleagues have taken it upon themselves to ensure that once retired I will be arrested should I ever sit in the front row at a boxing match drinking to excess and smoking a good cigar, I do not know. What I do in my car, on my own, frankly, should be none of your business, whoever you are. |
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Re: Should smoking be banned in cars?
posted at 16/11/2011 4:56 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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*Moderator*
Posts: 1436
First: 7/4/2011 Last: 17/5/2013 |
Response from Twitter:  johnoliverdunn 3:21pm via Twitter for iPhone
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Re: Should smoking be banned in cars?
posted at 16/11/2011 6:43 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1784
First: 7/3/2009 Last: 18/5/2013 |
Smoking should be banned in public transportation including taxies.Why should another person be exposed to the toxic smoke from a smoker? About private cars: it is a matter of the owner.It is more a matter of education.And a matter of manners.There is a problem here with such people exposing their offspring and spouses to smoke. But how on earth can we control what one does inside his/her personal car? And is it not against ones' rights?
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Re: Should smoking be banned in cars?
posted at 16/11/2011 10:28 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1
First: 16/11/2011 Last: 16/11/2011 |
As a chest physician I object to smoking in all forms and in all places. I do my best to convince my patients and other people I get in touch with about the self harm they accrue by continuing to light up. My liberty stops at their doorstep, or at their car door. Which means that adults can harm themselves (only) in any way they choose behind closed doors, as long as they do not infringe upon other people's rights. Children are a special case, and they should be actively protected. An adult smoking in a car in which children ride is guilty of neglect and potential harm in much the same way as somebody who drives a car with an unrestrained child in the front seat. There is a clear case for a ban in such a situation. |
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