Smoking In The Car Isn’t Good For You
Any sensible person knows that smoking anywhere is not a good idea, but now scientists have shown that you can exceed toxic limits in a car. It’s all here on the BBC.
As I rarely go in a car and certainly not one that ever gets smoked in, if smoking was banned in cars, I wouldn’t bother personally. Although, I believe if smoking stopped in this country, we’d all have a better standard of living and the NHS would see less cancer.
According to this article, we raise about £12.1 million from taxes related to tobacco, so we might have a budget hole to fill.
But then every action has an equal and opposite reaction. How many people have changed their evening habits because now all pubs and restaurants are smoke free? And how many jobs has that created.
The Anonymous Widower 
Smoking in cars should be banned, not just because of the health issues of inhaling smoke in a closed environment, but also because it is dangerous. It is similar to using a phone whilst driving. Removing a cigarette from its packet, getting the cigarette lighter, and lighting the cigarette all distract the driver from concentrting on driving. A while back someone was prosectuted for careless driving for eating a finger of Kit Kat whilst stationary at the lights. If eating a finger of Kit Kat is dangerous, then smoking must be worse. In an emergency you can safely drop a finger of Kit Kat, but a lit cigarette is another thing. I understand that the money lost through taxation is more than made up for by the saving in health costs for smokers, however, I am not sure that this takes into account the cost of these people living longer and requiring state pensions and care in old age. Perhaps cigarettes should be tax free to old age pensioners to save on care for the elderly. It wouldn’t affect me, as I haven’t smoked for over 35 years.
Comment by John Wright | October 16, 2012 |