Britain To Go After Smoking Drivers

i'm a non-smoker and i'm glad it's out of pubs and clubs,makes it so much better.
Stopping smoking in cars is taking it a bit far IMO,give it 10 years and you'll only be able to smoke in space.
My only gripe being a biker is car smokers throwing used cig butts out the window,can get on your nerves sometimes

I think the idea is to make it illegal, so a non smoker doesn't have to get in a car and be drowned in a sea of smoke because the driver is ignorant to other people's choice not to smoke. And even though your car is your own property, when other people are in it, it then becomes a public place, and it's now illegal to smoke in any enclosed public place, hence it really should be illegal to smoke in your car now anyways.

What the government is trying to do, is to keep people smoking, but only so they do it in their own homes, that way they still have the huge taxes rolling in, but the problem of smoking is not in everyone's face because it's now hidden. The government could never ban cigarettes because our country wouldn't run without the taxes they bring in, they bring in billions alone.

I smoke in the car. If my passenger objects they know where the door is ....

Only time i don't smoke is when I'm carrying one particular passenger who has asthma, in which case we'll pull over somewhere to let me get my hourly "fix" ...

I don't think it's smoking that's the problem. It's lighting and extinguishing cigarettes which is the problem. I can't be the only smoker who'd admit to getting distracted for a second or two when juggling a ciggie, a lighter and a steering wheel ... so I normally just get my passenger to light one for me.

But as to banning smoking in cars altogether ? Mm. Reckon it'd cause more accidents with smokers pulling over & pulling out before & after they've had a quick puff.

Britain is the bggest "free" police state in the world. the US cant touch it.

Originally posted by Flyer
No, alcoholism isnt a disease, its a lack of self control.

Nearly all smokers are addicted, nearly all alcohol drinkers are not addicted.

Alcoholism is a disease and the risk of poor judgment is directly proportional to the amount consumed. Alcoholism is an addiction that starts with the first drink regardless who you are.

I know, trust me.

And don't tell me about self control. I quit smoking for a year, and went back because I was tired of white knuckling it. And people around me were much relieved as they didn't have to look forwards to being beaten up every day...smoking saved my marriage, yes it did...

Originally posted by shaunybaby
. And even though your car is your own property, when other people are in it, it then becomes a public place,

got a source?
if not i have to call BS on this one...
your car becomes a public place when you give someone a ride?

i really don't think so...

same thing go for you house? if you have company over, is it now a public place?

Originally posted by Matyas

Alcoholism is a disease and the risk of poor judgment is directly proportional to the amount consumed. Alcoholism is an addiction that starts with the first drink regardless who you are.

I know, trust me.

And don't tell me about self control. I quit smoking for a year, and went back because I was tired of white knuckling it. And people around me were much relieved as they didn't have to look forwards to being beaten up every day...smoking saved my marriage, yes it did...

Poor judgement isnt a disease.

Eating too much isnt a disease, drinking too much isnt a disease, being a shopping addict isnt a disease, taking crack isnt a disease, gambling isnt a disease, watching too much TV isnt a disease, being a smoker isnt a disease.

It just an excuse for people to absolve themselves of any responsibility for their own behaviour.

Its pathetic.

Reply to Flyer

No, alcoholism isnt a disease, its a lack of self control.

Nearly all smokers are addicted, nearly all alcohol drinkers are not addicted.

My quite the opinionated one aren't we.

I suppose you know better than;
en.wikipedia.org...

Note, the repeated use of the phrase "disease".

Anyway, back on thread.

We are all obviously aware of the health risks involved in smoking.
I deeply regret starting smoking, I started when I was 9, I am now 42.
I choose to continue smoking, for reasons I will not go into here, they are irrelevant.
I have never smoked around people who are eating, it is very inconsiderate.
I am becoming accustomed to the ban in public places.

Life is all about choices.
It is my car, i've paid for it.
If I smoke and you don't like it, don't get in, walk. Pretty straight forward to me.

70% of the population agree with a total ban in cars?
How do you know?
Has there been a referendum on this?

You propose a total ban.
Democracy is about choices.
You are advocating taking choice away.
What you propose is undemocratic.

Prohibition does not work. Look at the USA and The Volstead Act etc.
The "War on Drugs". Ha, well that's working isn't it
It is very easy to buy any drug, in any town and most villages throughout the whole of the UK.
The price of illegal drugs has gone DOWN.
I repeat, prohibition does not work.

Smoking whilst driving has never been a distraction to me.
I have never heard of smoking causing someone to have an accident.
Please provide one proven instance.

This is all part of the ongoing programme to....oh well, as stated in another post there are countless threads on the threat to UK individual rights and freedoms etc.

I want more freedom, not less and I am sick to death of politically correct, namby pamby people intefering in my life and telling me what I should or shouldn't do.


[edit on 7-10-2007 by Freeborn]

Originally posted by Freeborn

I suppose you know better than;
en.wikipedia.org...

Wiki can be written by anyone, it cannot be taken seriously as a source.

"Research has shown that alcoholism is a choice, not a disease, and stripping alcohol abusers of their choice, by applying the disease concept, is a threat to the health of the individual."

www.addictioninfo.org...

Exactly what I was saying.

Type in alcoholism and "not a disease" into a search engine and you get 65000 hits.

If i choose to smoke i will , what right has anyone to stop me???

I dont smoke indoors never have , nor restaurants , i will always put the ciggie out and discard the butt in an ashtray !
I actually gave up for 3 years , then the wife ran off with the cat or something and i hit rock bottom , and i went back on it !

Im not a social pariah , im a human in a country where i can make my own choices(well sort of ) and i have chosen to smoke ! I bet u pick ur nose!! i find that disgusting, they should ban that !! and hooking out a soggy wet booger when behind the wheel is more distracting i think!

Sorry dont mean to offend but where is this all going to stop ?? huh ?

Regards
Git

reply to post by Flyer


Why is it when confronted with evidence which disproves opinions do people rely with "wikipedia can be edited by anyone".
On this occassion Wikipedia quotes reliable medical sources.

Originally posted by Freeborn
reply to post by Flyer

 

Why is it when confronted with evidence which disproves opinions do people rely with "wikipedia can be edited by anyone".
On this occassion Wikipedia quotes reliable medical sources.

and Ive posted that you can search 65000 sources yourself.

So youre telling me that all the other examples I listed are "diseases" too or is alcohol somehow magically different?

reply to post by deadline527


funny isn't not that the government likes to make a profit out of those that are enslaved to an addictive cancer causing product as far as its possible to push the limits------when instead they should ban smoking altogether so the rest of us are spared from getting a preventable disease spread around by others selfish behaviour.i've endured 60 years of 2nd hand smokers filth and part of the reason i retired early is because i can take no more of it from the soldiers on the base i worked at 34 years + 5 years working in constuction.if smokers got it all by wearing a helmet that sealed it all in for the 1 smoking i'd be happy but-----they insist on sharing it with us non-smokers.and it also wouldn't break my heart if the government stopped selling of booze----i like it too much-----its an addictive "pain killer" i'd probably be better off with out even if i'm not a drunk !

Originally posted by Boondock78
got a source?
if not i have to call BS on this one...
your car becomes a public place when you give someone a ride?

i really don't think so...

same thing go for you house? if you have company over, is it now a public place?

The source is me. How about learning to read, when did I say anything about houses?

Let's say you're the driver of a car. If your friend gets in (your friend is obviously a member of the public), hence your car becomes a place where the public is. You wouldn't expect a taxi driver to light up when he's taking passengers, same goes for a bus driver or passengers on a bus. Obviously smoking is already banned on buses, trains and taxis, and all of those are forms of PUBLIC transport. So a taxi, which is a car, could be considered a public place. The idea of the smoking ban in public places, is to ban smoking in any enclosed space, and you can get much more enclosed than a car.

reply to post by Flyer


Alcoholism is currently accepted as a disease.
The vast majority of respected medical institutions recognises this.

Dwelling on this does nothing but deflect away from the core of this thread.

Please show just one example of where it has been proven that smoking has caused a car accident.
Just one will do.

Why no reply to the the other points raised in my last post?

As stated previously, it's my car, if you don't like me smoking, don't get in ,walk. Pretty straight forward. Your choice.

My choice to smoke in my own property, not rented, mine.

Democracy is freedom of choice.
This is another example of people enforcing their beliefs on others and reducing freedom of choice.
It is undemocratic and another step down the road to totalitarianism.


[edit on 7-10-2007 by Freeborn]

good drivers just drive.

while i think some laws are excessive some do make common sense.

ever been a passenger and seen the driver drop his lit ciggy? head down, arms and hands fumbling around, all to grab that lost cig before it melts the carpet.

eating while driving is no better (/me puts hand up, guilty as charged)

worst is the type of ppl having a heated or very in depth discussion with passenger.
its one thing to drive and talk on the side, but im sure we've all seen someone talk while driving is the side task.

the other day the wife and i both said almost simultaneously, "that guy needs to watch the road and reduce the hand signals".
some guy driving, looking + leaning towards passenger while arms are flailing around like a madman. the occasional quick flick of the head to glance that hes still on the road, then head quickly flicks back and stays fixed on passenger.

this dude was watching the passenger, and glancing at the road every few seconds - he was using every inch of his lane to keep on the road too.

theres various things we could all mention. drinking/eating, smoking, mobile phones, changing cd's or radio stations, checking road maps, putting on lippy in the mirror etc.

most cars come with cup holders everywhere so they encourage drink driving (regular drinks, non alc stuff) as much as ashtrays encourage smoking while driving.


as i said, im guilty of some of those things.. but at the end of the day it all falls back to the old saying again.

good drivers just drive.

Originally posted by Freeborn

Please show just one example of where it has been proven that smoking has caused a car accident.
Just one will do.

Ive already posted a link showing the causes of distractions is accidents, smoking was int here

Originally posted by Freeborn

Democracy is freedom of choice.
This is another example of people enforcing their beliefs on others and reducing freedom of choice.
It is undemocratic and another step down the road to totalitarianism.

[edit on 7-10-2007 by Freeborn]

No, Democracy is doing what the majority want and the majority want smoking banned for drivers.

Funny this, 10 yrs ago no one gave a stuff !!

Now all of a sudden , U cant do this and u cant do that !! I dont like it so u cant do it !! I also never knew that the majority of people wanted smoking banned in cars!!! Where n the hell did that little gem appear?? No one has ever asked me ! TBH i think most normal people could not give a stuff...

If i have a smoke in the car the window is open , the airflow is directed at the window, ash goes out the window , butt is extinguished and binned , not in the ashtray , never used a cars ashtray! Also if there are any non smokers in my car i always ask if they mind, they say no they dont mind, if they did i would wait till i stopped !

Git

Originally posted by Freeborn
Democracy is freedom of choice.
This is another example of people enforcing their beliefs on others and reducing freedom of choice.
It is undemocratic and another step down the road to totalitarianism.

Wrong, you will still have your freedom of choice. You will have the choice to either; obey the law or break the law. The choice is still there. No one's taking your right away to choose.

I was working full time for a company through September to May, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 etc. And I had to be in a van with someone who lit up about 10 times a day, and that was in the van alone. Sure the window was a little bit open, but you're still breathing in the toxins.

Maybe I should have said something, but then you've got people on here saying ''If you don't like me smoking, you know where the door is''. That's like an alcoholic saying to his kids when he's at home beating them up, ''If you don't like me beating you up, maybe you shouldn't be here when I get home''. The analogy is to show how ridiculous a person who is a smoker sounds when they say something along the lines of ''If you don't like me smoking, go away''..

reply to post by shaunybaby


That was in a work van.
I agree with the ban in company vehicles, you should not be forced to breathe in smoke.

Completely different to smoking in my own car, going about my business.
It's my choice.