Smoking ban in cars with under 16s sought

Run_to_da_hills

ASH Ireland are pushing the Government for a total ban on smoking in cars as it is such an unhealthy practice. "As an interim measure we have urged the Minister for Health and Children to ban smoking in cars transporting children under 16 years of age". http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0128/breaking40.htm

johnny_adidas

now i hate smoking, as in ill walk out of a room if someone lit up but for christ sake, what is the point in this? how the hell would it be enforced? this is only one step from telling you what you can/cant do in your own home

lightening

johnny_adidas wrote: »

this is only one step from telling you what you can/cant do in your own home

Well, in fairness you can't do anything you want, even in your own home!

I see cars with kids in the back and the parents smoking, it amazes me. Years ago, fair enough, no-one realised the bad affects of passive smoking, but these days smoking in an enclosed area like a car with kids is the act of a selfish moron with what I can only assume, an incredibly low IQ.

Halfdog

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

ASH Ireland are pushing the Government for a total ban on smoking in cars as it is such an unhealthy practice. "As an interim measure we have urged the Minister for Health and Children to ban smoking in cars transporting children under 16 years of age". http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0128/breaking40.htm

There is an easy way around this, ie keep your kids in the boot!

johnny_adidas

Halfdog wrote: »

There is an easy way around this, ie keep your kids in the boot!

there may yet be a place in this world for homer's bubble car!!!

Riskymove

Even when I was smoking i rarely smoked in the car as i hated it getting so smelly and singed uphostery etc

and I certainly never smoked in a confined area with kids thats for sure

is_that_so

I'd say you'd need a child to take a case against a parent here. There's also the whole freedom of expression thing,which leads down the road of legislation and even the constitutional challenges. This is why it is banned in the workplace -far easier to police. They can always open a window. TBH ASH would be better off inculcating the lil uns and have them hound the parents into giving up. Children are good at that. They should also know better at this stage than to pick on hardened smokers, it doesn't work. Personally I'd be happier if seat belt usage was strictly enforced and not have the buggers jumping around , a far greater risk to them methinks.

--amadeus--

Now that they have banned hand held mobiles on safety grounds they may use that as a loophole to prevent drivers smoking. Beyond that I can't see much hope for this...

meathstevie

Very relevant if you're talking about peak time traffic in a city. Cigarette smoke is a breath of fresh air compared to the exhaust fumes cocktail you are presented with then.

Seth Brundle

Yer wan from ASH Ireland was interviewed on the last word.
When pressed as to whether she would like to ban smoking in the home she said no because its a private space. When the retort was put to her that so was a car she just stumbled before being cut off.
Personally I see a lot of sense in it and I would never smoke with the nippers in the back. However, its a totally impractical proposal which will do nothing to gain ASH respect with smokers!

littlejukka

makes sense to me. enclosed space, impacts on the safety of others by way of passive smoking and decreased capacity to respond to an emergency.

i was walking through dundrum basement carpark a few weeks back and saw a woman sitting in here parked car, all the windows closed, chatting away on the phone and smoking a cigarette. she wouldn't be permitted to smoke in the basement but because she was in her own vehicle it didn't seem to bother her. it just seemed wrong.

fabsoul

How the hell would it be enforced? just crazy

jimmycrackcorm

I'd support such a ban to get my wife to stop smoking in my car.

colly10

johnny_adidas wrote: »

now i hate smoking, as in ill walk out of a room if someone lit up but for christ sake, what is the point in this? how the hell would it be enforced? this is only one step from telling you what you can/cant do in your own home

Exactly, I see the point in the law to an extent but I think the state are interfering far too much when it comes to things like this (talk of fat tax etc..)

They speak about cost to the heathcare system etc to justify things like this (like €10 euro a pack) while failing to mention how much a 20 a day smoker will pay over their life time in tax on cigarettes (like maybe 5 euro a day?). Either way i'd hope to get off cigarettes before I develop health problems but if I do i'll have probably paid for the healthcare many times over

maidhc

We have enough pointless laws. I suggest we should get rid of a whole clatter of the ones we have.

unkel

kbannon wrote: »

its a totally impractical proposal

Indeed it is. If the Gardai currently do not have the resources to check if drivers have a driving license and hundreds of thousands of incompetent drivers are out there, who cares if any of them eat, smoke or have sex while driving?

Run_to_da_hills

fabsoul wrote: »

How the hell would it be enforced? just crazy

Easily, just record every one caught driving with a cigarette in their mouth with the thousands of CCTV cameras dotted throughout the city and then foreward the culprit a nasty letter with a fine and photograph!

Boggles

fabsoul wrote: »

How the hell would it be enforced? just crazy

Very Simple, Garda in the back of every car, 24-7.

May sound expensive, but if they abolished motor tax, vrt, emmision tax, getting your car washed tax, tax on air freshners, new car mats tax, tax on fags, etc. It would work out cheaper to pay the guards salary.

Edit: Just worked out without all the taxes, my car costs 16 quid gross.

ambman

I think

If they are are that worried about the effects of smoking then ban the ****ing things altogether..

But no that would cost the goverment to much in taxes. So bottom line are they worried about our health or there taxes:mad:

colly10

ambman wrote: »

I think

If they are are that worried about the effects of smoking then ban the ****ing things altogether..

But no that would cost the goverment to much in taxes. So bottom line are they worried about our health or there taxes:mad:

They aren't worried about it though, there worried about how they can use it to generate more revenue.

wil

I totally agree with it, filthy habit, I never let under 16s smoke in my car.
They should smoke behind the bikesheds like everyone else.:D

In fact I'd much prefer if smokers didnt breath within the confines of my car, shop, office, etc. Some have so much nicotine and carcinogenic substances built up and exuding from their lungs/clothes/hair they should have a government health warning tattooed across 33% of their foreheads in both Irish and English.:(

On the flipside, look at the added health benefits of overweight kids getting plenty of much needed exercise and fresh air, having to walk alongside their parents minivan as mum legally gets a few drags in on the school run. "sorry kids, I know its raining, but the law says you cant be in the car while I smoke so out you get for the next 2 miles" :rolleyes:
Kill two butts with one stroke.

I can just see it now, little kids grassing up (pun half intended) their parents for smoking to the cops. Oh what a mixed up world we live in.
It's all Christopher Columbus' fault.

orestes

How the hell do you enforce something like this?

Cop pulls over a car where driver is smoking and there is a teenager in the back. Driver rolls down window.

Cop: ID please.

Driver: Sure thing officer (hands over drivers license)

Cop: Not you, the kid in the back. Show me your passport junior.

Kid: I'm a teenager, I don't carry ID.

Cop: Ah, right, I hadn't thought of that. Eh..............

Mr.Boots

I would be all for this Ban.
Not just for the health reasons....they are obvious......if you smoke around your kids your stupid and selfish.
I would like to see smoking banned in all vehicles.
Its dangerous, one hand off the wheel...and what if you drop it :eek:
Also it would mean no more Cig Butts flying out the windows of cars and trucks.
I remember reading about a Biker who was riding along when all of a sudden a Cig Butt flew into his helmet from the car infront, he crashed and ended up paralised.
It is strongly believed that the Mont Blanc Tunnel fire in 1999 was caused by the driver flicking his Cig Butt out the window of his truck and it going into the air inlet behiend the cab and starting a fire which spread to the load he was hauling. I think about 40 people were killed.

ImaBM-man

My mother has smoked all my life.......like a train too. I often threatened to sue her when she wouldnt put it out or get out of the room. Now she wonders my im never round, cant stand the smell, its a horrible habit! Such a waste of money aswell, say 20 a day - 7.50 a pack - 365*7.50 = 2737.50!! Wonder how much of that goes towards bertie's trips in the jet???

FuzzyWuzzyWazza

Just ban smoking altogether!!!!

Boggles

ImaBM-man wrote: »

My mother has smoked all my life.......like a train too. I often threatened to sue her when she wouldnt put it out or get out of the room. Now she wonders my im never round, cant stand the smell, its a horrible habit! Such a waste of money aswell, say 20 a day - 7.50 a pack - 365*7.50 = 2737.50!! Wonder how much of that goes towards bertie's trips in the jet???

Jaysus Threatening to take legal action and ostracising your own mother. No wonder she smokes, every fag she has she is probably thinking how she could have spawned a child like you.

Anan1

Boggles wrote: »

Jaysus Threatening to take legal action and ostracising your own mother. No wonder she smokes, every fag she has she is probably thinking how she could have spawned a child like you.

johnny_adidas

Boggles wrote: »

Jaysus Threatening to take legal action and ostracising your own mother. No wonder she smokes, every fag she has she is probably thinking how she could have spawned a child like you.

ive often taken my son from my parents place early when my 20 woodbine a day father sparks up while we are there.
had a row with him over it when the little lad was younger, him being the one who made a big deal over me asking him not to smoke while we were there, seemed to take it as a personal attack. his justification at the time being, it didnt do me any harm and it was his house. so i said fair enough, im a parent now and i wont put my son or myself through it so we wont be spending any time there. for christ sake would the world end if someone didnt smoke for an hour or two.
lately he has started doing it again to such an extent that we spent about 10 mins there on xmas day and we upped and left because of it.

Seth Brundle

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Easily, just record every one caught driving with a cigarette in their mouth with the thousands of CCTV cameras dotted throughout the city and then foreward the culprit a nasty letter with a fine and photograph!

Having a ciggy in your mouth is one thing - proving it was lit is another!

Mr.Boots wrote: »

It is strongly believed that the Mont Blanc Tunnel fire in 1999 was caused by the driver flicking his Cig Butt out the window of his truck and it going into the air inlet behiend the cab and starting a fire which spread to the load he was hauling. I think about 40 people were killed.

There is a suggestion that it was a ciggy butt. However, it is more likely that the truck was defective through poor maintenance or an engine fault.
The majority of the blame for the fatalities lies with the fact that safety procedures were effectively ignored!

Boggles

johnny_adidas wrote: »

ive often taken my son from my parents place early when my 20 woodbine a day father sparks up while we are there.
had a row with him over it when the little lad was younger, him being the one who made a big deal over me asking him not to smoke while we were there, seemed to take it as a personal attack. his justification at the time being, it didnt do me any harm and it was his house. so i said fair enough, im a parent now and i wont put my son or myself through it so we wont be spending any time there.
lately he has started doing it again to such an extent that we spent about 10 mins there on xmas day and we upped and left because of it.

Ever think he is doing it on purpose just to get rid of ye? Prob thinking "Oh Jaysus, not this one and her brat, where my woodbines?"

ImaBM-man

Boggles wrote: »

Jaysus Threatening to take legal action and ostracising your own mother. No wonder she smokes, every fag she has she is probably thinking how she could have spawned a child like you.

Tad bit of an overeaction me thinks! Im well entitled to ask my mother to stop smoking, clearly I wouldnt go to court over it,its a joke. Asking her to stop is not only for me but the other 3 ppl who live here, my younger sister has now started to smoke(shes only 16) yet she gets away with it because my mother smokes too. She sets a bad example.