Road rules2 mins ago
Driving While Smoking
Why is it legal to smoke a cigarette while driving a car?
Cigarettes contain many toxic chemicals and the effects are quite dramatic. It isn't called "spin" for nothing.
Smoking requires one hand, which is one of the reasons mobile phones are not supposed to be used by drivers.
Smoking involves containing a small fire that could easily escape if the driver has to pay extra attention to the road at some point. I have seen drivers roll and light cigarettes while driving.
Cigarettes thrown form cars cause many roadside fires which sometimes expand to very large fires.
Has any research on the effect of smoking while driving ever been done or are the tobacco companies too powerful?
Cigarettes contain many toxic chemicals and the effects are quite dramatic. It isn't called "spin" for nothing.
Smoking requires one hand, which is one of the reasons mobile phones are not supposed to be used by drivers.
Smoking involves containing a small fire that could easily escape if the driver has to pay extra attention to the road at some point. I have seen drivers roll and light cigarettes while driving.
Cigarettes thrown form cars cause many roadside fires which sometimes expand to very large fires.
Has any research on the effect of smoking while driving ever been done or are the tobacco companies too powerful?
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It's illegal to smoke in a car with under 16's in in some parts of the world
I'm not particularly anti smoking, if you want to smoke I dont care if you kill yourself. I do care, however, if you decide to smoke so it goes into my lungs and the lungs of my children. For that not to happen you have to be quite a long way away from me, so do it where I can't smell it
Lighting a ciggie, peeling a banana, unwrapping a sweet, changing a CD all fall within the distracted whilst driving a lethal weapon category IMO and, as said above, can see you prosecuted for driving with undue care and attention
On the subject on Taxi/cab drivers their license means they are not allowed to and many have been fined already
I'm not particularly anti smoking, if you want to smoke I dont care if you kill yourself. I do care, however, if you decide to smoke so it goes into my lungs and the lungs of my children. For that not to happen you have to be quite a long way away from me, so do it where I can't smell it
Lighting a ciggie, peeling a banana, unwrapping a sweet, changing a CD all fall within the distracted whilst driving a lethal weapon category IMO and, as said above, can see you prosecuted for driving with undue care and attention
On the subject on Taxi/cab drivers their license means they are not allowed to and many have been fined already
I have asked this before but nobody answered it so I will ask again on this thread.I took my driving test when cars didn't have indicators and hand signals were used, so I spent a lot of the time with an arm out of the window. I passed the test so obviously considered safe to drive even though I was driving with one hand, so why is it considered dangerous these days? Speed doesn't come into it as the test then, as now, is taken in a 30 mph area.
Yes, oj, I should have added that you have to weigh the 'harm principle'. I'm no expert on law in general, but a lot of law in democratic states seems to be based on this principle - to restrict one person's action by law there has to be a weight of evidence that the action might harm other people. This is why there is now restriction on smoking in vehicles for public use. For the individual owner-driver, the harm principle does not apply, he is entitled to harm himself if he chooses. As for data gathering - the data is already there in accident reports. If there was a strong correlation between smoking and accidents, I'm sure we'd have been told about it.
Far more accidents are caused by people either talking or texting on their mobiles, than smoking.
Agree, you do have to take your hand off the wheel to light and puff, but don't you also have to take your hand off the wheel to change gear?
And indeed, more accidents are also caused by drivers not putting their headlights on in adverse weather conditions rendering themselves invisible to other motorists.
Agree, you do have to take your hand off the wheel to light and puff, but don't you also have to take your hand off the wheel to change gear?
And indeed, more accidents are also caused by drivers not putting their headlights on in adverse weather conditions rendering themselves invisible to other motorists.
I'm sure we would have been - there are quite possibly studies out there already
I've seen aftermath of accidents caused by someone changing a CD - driver died, passenger had dreadful injuries
Peeling a banana - driver swiped car next to him cos he dropped the peel
Simply eat before you leave, or stop if you really need a cigarette, it's easy to do.
ATEOTD, if you have an accident on the motorway or a busy road cos you couldn't find your lighter, how many others are you going to injure or even kill?
I've seen aftermath of accidents caused by someone changing a CD - driver died, passenger had dreadful injuries
Peeling a banana - driver swiped car next to him cos he dropped the peel
Simply eat before you leave, or stop if you really need a cigarette, it's easy to do.
ATEOTD, if you have an accident on the motorway or a busy road cos you couldn't find your lighter, how many others are you going to injure or even kill?
Dropping a lit cigarette can be hazardous.
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As can throwing the butt out of the window
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As can throwing the butt out of the window
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Smoking and indeed mobile phones etc are all covered by existing laws. There is a general statute that says a driver must be in control of the vehicle. The mobile phone laws are really pretty well unnecessary too, let's not compound it further by adding to the list of unncecessary specifics. If we list specifics then that is a very long list and ultimately futile.
