Britain's senior road safety campaigners are calling for a ban on smoking while driving, in an attempt to cut the number of crashes.

The Department of Health said last night that it would seriously consider a ban, which is also being looked at in Germany, Australia and America. The move was backed by anti-smoking campaigners but drew criticism from others as an attack on personal freedom. From 1 July, England will join the rest of the UK by introducing a ban on smoking in enclosed public places and at work.

 

The Local Authority Road Safety Officers' Association, which represents councils - responsible for the majority of Britain's roads - will meet transport officials within weeks to ask them to pass a ban on smoking at the wheel.

 

The association claims that drivers are in danger when they take their hands off the wheel to find, light and smoke cigarettes, and are particularly at risk if a lit cigarette or ash falls in the car or is blown back through the window. The organisation, which represents 180 of Britain's 200 local roads authorities, fears that once people who drive are stopped from lighting up in other places from 1 July, they will smoke more while in their own cars.

 

'Driving is a complicated business, especially with the high volume of traffic motorists have to contend with these days. It's not an area where you can multi-task,' said Simon Ettinghausen, a spokesman for the association. He said the existing law banning the use of hand-held mobile phones in cars showed special bans were more effective than general road-safety legislation.

 

'In this country, we're libertarians, we like to give people freedoms, but if you are distracted unfortunately your freedom to do these things can affect other people's lives,' he added. Last year there were 3,201 deaths on Britain's roads.

 

The Department of Health said it was 'looking at how we can get further momentum towards smoking cessation beyond the introduction of the smoking ban in England'.

 

'We are looking at further proposals and this could be one of them. If the road safety officers put information and evidence before us about this, and explain the case for it, we would study it,' said a spokeswoman.

 

Amanda Sandford of the campaign group Action on Smoking and Health said: 'We fully support this proposal. Not so long ago it would have seemed inconceivable that we would have a total ban on smoking across the country, but in a few years time people will think it's inconceivable that we allow people to continue to smoke while driving.'

 

Andrew Lansley, the Conservative shadow Health Secretary, condemned the plan as a denial of citizens' rights to decide how they behave in their own personal space. 'Parliament hasn't accepted the completely anti-libertarian view that people can't do what they like in their own homes and own cars,' he said.

Well, if you aint allowed to use a mobile phone, then I dont think you should be allowed to smoke at the wheel of a car either to be honest....

I was driving today and the driver flicked his fag end out the window and it bounced of my side window, if I had it open it could have landed in my lap. :angry:

I thought it was banned anyway :blink:

Good idea, should be done, driving requires 100% concentration and puffing a fag and holding the wheel with 1 hand is not safe

Sensible - if you drop fag in lap - and set trousers on fire :o

 

seriously - should have both hands controlling wheel!!!

I would've thought it was banned already.

some tw@t was on tv this morning saying that its ok to smoke and you can do wtf you want to in your own car..

 

the prick was conveiniantly forgetting that the road is not a private place....

 

yes smoking in cars by drivers should be banned. saftey first.

More lunacy from the PC Brigade :wacko: If i ran someone over wearing a flatcap, then the pc brigade would says lets ban people wearing flat-caps while driving lol

More lunacy from the PC Brigade :wacko: If i ran someone over wearing a flatcap, then the pc brigade would says lets ban people wearing flat-caps while driving lol

I agree.

 

 

This is nanny state madness.

Agreed. I've never been one to smoke and drive, but the few people I know who do tend to have one when traffic is moving slowly, they don't speed down the motorway at 70mph one handed. I think a ban is a little strong.

 

I bet those who routinely change the radio / cds while driving wouldn't entertain a ban on car stereos.

More lunacy from the PC Brigade :wacko: If i ran someone over wearing a flatcap, then the pc brigade would says lets ban people wearing flat-caps while driving lol

 

 

thats nonsense... wearing a cap doesnt impinge on your ability to drive, fiddling around with a fag does. you need 2 hands at all time.

I bet those who routinely change the radio / cds while driving wouldn't entertain a ban on car stereos.

 

There are safety issues with cigarettes that there are not with other things like CD's and so on, drivers 99% of the time just throw the cig into the road without any regard for where it will go and that is a fire hazard if someone with an open window or sunroof is driving by when it is thrown out, I dont see many flying CD's and flying stereos on the road but I see flying cigarettes with great frequency

good idea i back it 100% :)

Hmm well I didn't think it'd be long before this happened tbh. It seems illogical that you can be fined for being on your phone but can do other stuff equally as distracting. But it's still turning into a complete nanny state. :manson:

Hmm well I didn't think it'd be long before this happened tbh. It seems illogical that you can be fined for being on your phone but can do other stuff equally as distracting. But it's still turning into a complete nanny state. :manson:

 

Better a nanny state on the roads than loads of funerals though David, if even 1 life is saved by these measures like phones and cigs it is more than worth it

actually id like to point out that theres a law already in place... " a driver needs to be in full control of their vehicle at all times" so by interpretation mobys and fags fall into that catagory.

actually id like to point out that theres a law already in place... " a driver needs to be in full control of their vehicle at all times" so by interpretation mobys and fags fall into that catagory.

I believe that wording is fair.

But let's face it often the most distracting thing in a car is passengers. I don't smoke nor would I bother to start, but I've ridden in cars with people while smoking and they are in complete control at all times. The few times with young kids in the car however I can say the driver wasn't. So if it's a matter of safety then no kids in cars, or at least none with links to the driver.

The other distraction is the sun level at sunset. So no driving at sunset. No driving with animals.

In fact why not ban driving entirely - job done.

people have been prosecuted for eating while driving, but not smoking as far as I know.

I dont see many flying CD's and flying stereos on the road but I see flying cigarettes with great frequency

 

That's not the point I was making and you know it. There are a great many crashes that have been caused by one driver dropping a tape / CD / mp3 player and bending down temporarily to pick it up. I'm merely pointing out where the law could go if this is passed.

 

Non-smokers are bound to support this, but would you support a ban on other car activities you take for granted or do you all sit stock still in your seat, your hands never wavering from the ten to two position?