You say... ban smoking while driving - Don't ban smoking while driving

This nanny state is hell-bent on destroying what little personal choice we have already - the next step will be piping music directly to iPod/MP3 players with subliminal messaging to keep us all in line and prevent us from thinking for ourselves.
John Faulkner

While trying to avoid the cameras, police and other idiots on the road, if I couldn't have a fag I would hit everything! Surely tuning the radio in or changing the CD is worse. Or having kids in the car - wow, nightmare.
Tony Blows

Just when I thought the world couldn't get any dafter, along comes this frankly fruitcake idea!

It is claimed in your article that the Australian study found that smokers have more accidents than non-smokers, but there are plenty of other studies that show smoking to be one of the lesser types of driver distraction. In an American study, for example, it was ranked ninth in a list of causes of driver distraction related accidents, behind the following:

29.4% - Outside person, object or event
11.4% - Adjusting radio, cassette, CD
10.9% - Other occupant in vehicle
4.3% - Moving object in vehicle
2.9% - Other device/object brought into vehicle
2.8% - Adjusting vehicle/climate controls
1.7% - Eating or drinking
1.5% - Using/dialling cell phone
0.9% - Smoking related

So, logically, we should start banning things at the top of the list and work down - wouldn't that be fun?

In my experience of nearly 20 years of smoking and accident-free driving, I find that adjusting the radio/CD player and eating and drinking are far greater distractions than smoking.

Smoking, at least, requires less attention and enables both hands to remain largely on the steering wheel. I challenge anyone to drink from a water bottle and hold the wheel with both hands at the same time!

Besides, if taking a hand off the wheel occasionally is such a problem, we should ban manual transmission while we're at it, along with all other interior car controls such as window-winders, air-conditioning etc. Oh, and should scratching a simple itch be banned as well?

I've heard mentioned the concern that smoking carries the risk of flammable material being dumped in your lap, but can assure you that this has never happened to me. Presumably, though, if I were a truly incompetent smoker, it could happen, but then so could all sorts of other highly unlikely things.

On the basis that pretty much anything is theoretically possible, perhaps we need to identify all unfortunate in-car possibilities and ban them the lot of them?

Pah, that's enough timewasting here for one day - I can't believe this subject is even up for debate! In any case, the Government claims to have no plans to follow the advice of this insane lobby group, and, on a purely practical level, a ban would simply be unenforceable.

Governments generally don't like to make themselves look stupid by introducing laws which they can't police and enforce, so it ain't going to happen, whatever the busybody anti-smokers try to argue.
C Freeman

I am neither a driver nor a smoker, but I don't regard smoking as a risk while driving. Drivers that feel themselves at risk if they smoke are at liberty to abstain. Some drivers probably find that smoking aids concentration.
Belinda Cunnison

This is yet another attempt to victimise smokers, I have been driving for 22 years and always smoke behind the wheel - I have never had an accident.

Children in the car, changing CDs or cassettes, looking at sat-nav systems are all more of a distraction. Like many others, I have my cigarettes and lighter just on the seat next to me - I can reach for them with no problem and do not have to take my eyes off the road.

If anything, smoking helps me concentrate more on my driving; if I could not smoke behind the wheel, it would more than likely have the opposite effect, which I am sure most smokers would agree with. It would make me more anxious and probably make people more determined to rush to a place where they could pull up to stop and have a smoke. It would also, I am sure, increase road-rage.
Alastair Elliott

Rather than wear out my own car, I hire one for long journeys two or three times a year. In these cars, smoking is not permitted and I find myself thinking about how far it is to the next 'comfort break' when I should be concentrating on my driving.

This is another case of experts pursuing their own agenda without considering the consequences. I'm sure we'll get them suggesting (with backing from ASH [Action on Smoking and Health] and NRT [Nicotine Replacement Therapy] manufacturers) that patches are the answer, but I've tried that and they aren't.

These people are just getting us to worry about yet another thing when there is absolutely no need.
Neil Dun

Oh, for goodness sake - have these meddling, politically correct, social engineers even considered the effect this could have on road rage? Have they ever had a young child in their car? If there is one thing that distracts a driver more than anything else it is an unhappy or demanding child - how about they consider banning children in cars?

What will be next? Ban radios, CD players or chewing gum? Perhaps they might consider removing the clocks or heater controls in case a cursory glance proves fatal.

They should get a life and stop this constant persecution. Either that or ban tobacco completely. But they won't do that, will they? No, course not - ASH would be out of their well-paid jobs and the government coffers will be empty. This hypocrisy makes me so angry.

How about they make all cars with auto transmission? Then everyone would have a free hand to do something 'naughty' with!

It beggars belief!!
Loraine

This is just more evidence of the nanny state and preventing people from the freedom to choose what they wish to do.

Smoking while driving really is no more dangerous than changing the stereo, having a conversation with a passenger, checking the sat-nav (which is very distracting) or even listening to the stereo (try listening to discussions on Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 and not get involved in the discussions).

There really is more and more influence in the UK to control what we can and can't do. Whatever happened to having your independence, the freedom to do what you wish in your own space? I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles and have been more distracted by poor driving by just as many non-smokers, non-drinkers, unobservant, youthful boy/girl racers, elderly persons, lane-hoggers and foglight lovers to name but a few.

To save accidents and be more road-safe, driving styles needs to be looked at - people's driving etiquette and so on. Speeding isn't the lone factor, there's also concentrating, awareness of others, using roads and motorways properly and respecting other drivers. We should be investing on rail freight transport to ease congestion, and focus on MoT/insurance/car tax fraud and getting tough on car crime.

How on earth do the police intend to enforce a ban on smoking in your car? What a waste of their time, too. It's just ridiculous, simply preposterous.
Arnie Harmsworth

Even if legislation to ban smoking while driving is introduced, it will never be enforced, just like mobile phones. Then we will have yet another law that many people pay no attention to and the police never enforce.

When was the last time you heard of someone being prosecuted for not wearing a seat belt in the rear seat of a car or even a London taxi?
Martin Dore

Just another stupid idea from the nanny state. If this keeps going on we would not even be allowed to drive or do anything.
Howard Loadsman

I think that this is the nanny state going too far. I accept the general ban on smoking in public places after July 1. But what I do in my car is my own business, so long as it's not lewd! Next thing that you'll know, I'll have to keep my car clean!
Madahar Jas