davieG Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 By Nick TriggleHealth correspondent, BBC News Continue reading the main story Related Stories Car smoking ban 'due before 2015' Ministers 'will ban car smoking' Smoker: My car is my castleWatch Smoking in cars with children will be banned in England, under new laws put forward by the government. The regulations laid before Parliament propose banning smoking in cars containing under 18s. A fine of £50 will be issued to people who smoke or who fail to prevent another person smoking. MPs will vote on the plans before the election - and if they are passed the change in law will come into force on 1 October. The move comes after a free vote in Parliament in February gave ministers the power to introduce the law, although it did not compel them to. Public health minister Jane Ellison said: "Second-hand smoke is a real threat to children's health and we want them to grow up free from the risks of smoking. "The only effective way to protect children is to prevent them breathing second-hand smoke and our plans to stop smoking in cars carrying children will help us to do this." Smoking in cars Smoke can stay in the air for up to two and a half hours even with a window open. Second-hand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, some of which are known to cause cancer. Exposure has been strongly linked to chest infections, asthma, ear problems and cot death in children. Research indicates 300,000 children in the UK visit a GP each year because of the effects of second-hand smoke, with 9,500 going to hospital. Smoking in a car creates a higher concentration of toxins than in a bar, some research has put it at 11 times higher. Bans on smoking in cars when children are present already exist in some US states, including California, as well as in parts of Canada and Australia. Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: "We are delighted. We also urge the government to put the regulations on standardised packaging to Parliament before the general election. "This, together with the protection of children from second-hand smoke in cars, will help de-normalise smoking and protect children from this deadly addiction." But Simon Clark, director of smokers' lobby group Forest, said: "The government is taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The overwhelming majority of smokers know smoking in a car with children is inconsiderate and they don't do it. "The regulations are unnecessary and excessive. Do we really want to criminalise people for lighting a cigarette in a private vehicle?" A ban on smoking in cars has also been put forward in Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland said it was considering a ban.
yorkie1999 Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 looks like my lad's walking to the game then! Mind, seeing as i've got a convertible, does it still count?
Strokes Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 Another victory for the busy bodies. Yeah legal or not, anyone who smokes in a closed environment with a child, should be ashamed of themselves.
Strokes Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 Yeah good luck enforcing that. That's the trouble with these types of laws, utterly pointless.
Larry_LCFC Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 In principle, I fully support it. How irresponsible and utterly selfish can parents get? Smoking in a confined space with a child on board is disgusting. As already stated, trying to actually enforce this will be difficult. Does it fall to the council or an already overstretched police force?
SMX11 Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 Is there really a need for this? Anyone with a brain could realise that smoking in a car is dangerous :xmasdry: It is nigh impossible to enforce and a complete waste of police time if they try. Another win for the do-gooders.
Fox92 Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 Not sure how they'd enforce this, no doubt they wouldn't be able to, but I'd consider myself as a parent if I was smoking around my Child anyway.
Collibosher70 Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 i smoke , however i do not do it in front of my kids....never have never will...but if my kids are not in the car i will have one...thatchers britain
foz.foz Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 So, it's banned in the car. Mum n dad get home from the shopping trip with Jony and Mary. First thing they do is spark up when in home unpacking the shopping. Edit shopping not shipping trip.. Fcuking spell checker Sent from my Oneplus One
Larry_LCFC Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 So, it's banned in the car. Mum n dad get home from the shipping trip with Jony and Mary. First thing they do is spark up when in home unpacking the shopping. Sent from my Oneplus One Unless they live in a box, a house is a little bit bigger than a small car. Not that its acceptable to smoke around children indoors either.
Stadt Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 By Nick TriggleHealth correspondent, BBC News Continue reading the main story Related StoriesCar smoking ban 'due before 2015' Ministers 'will ban car smoking' Smoker: My car is my castleWatch Smoking in cars with children will be banned in England, under new laws put forward by the government. The regulations laid before Parliament propose banning smoking in cars containing under 18s. A fine of £50 will be issued to people who smoke or who fail to prevent another person smoking. :xmasblink:
foz.foz Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 Unless they live in a box, a house is a little bit bigger than a small car. Not that its acceptable to smoke around children indoors either.Makes no fcuking difference what size the building is.. Sent from my Oneplus One
Larry_LCFC Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 Makes no fcuking difference what size the building is.. Sent from my Oneplus One Not really true. A child is going to inhale far more smoke in an enclosed small space like a car. Smoking shouldn't be allowed near children full stop.
foz.foz Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 Not really true. A child is going to inhale far more smoke in an enclosed small space like a car. Smoking shouldn't be allowed near children full stop.Regardless of the physics/maths of how much smoke jony or mary inhale in different sized houses or bungalows....... You nailed it in your last sentence Well done Sent from my Oneplus One
Buzzell Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 I smoke and also have a 6 month old daughter. I never smoke around her, especially not in the car. Not surprised this has come into force.
inckley fox Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 I have a sort of left-libertarian outlook on these kinds of things. I have no problem with people smoking, nor especially with what they are smoking. I felt the smoking ban in public places was a triumph for populism over liberty: the justification seemed to be (a) if you can't make yourself healthy, the state will do it for you (and I don't think the state has the right to do this), (b) it's unhealthy for people around you who don't want to breathe your smoke (and what about those who don't mind? employees and customers alike, there are plenty), © it costs the NHS millions (so do many other 'recreational' pursuits, such as having a dog - one of the biggest spreaders of illness and infection out there - do we ban this too?) and (d) most people agree that it should be banned (let's apply that same logic to something else which lots of people don't like because they consider it to be dangerous, but which means a great deal to a minority of people - like non-Christian religions and customs, for instance). That said, I don't think that these principles really apply to this law. I believe smoking in public places should be tolerated so long as it does not affect those who don't wish to smoke, but this argument would fall a little flat if I started arguing that it was fine to smoke in an enclosed space, with children. Because it really isn't. And I'm not sure it's helpful to call anybody who passes any sort of progressive policy a 'do-gooder'. We apply this term to anybody who supports any ban of any kind. And, while it's wise to think very long and hard before you ban people from doing something that they enjoy, there are instances when it's right to do this. Slavery, for example, or smoking in enclosed spaces with children. My step-dad, who is very right-wing, took issue with me on this point. So I said, 'if UKIP get in an they ban the burka, or gay marriage, then will that make them do-gooders too?' He hasn't talked to me since.
Hollism Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 I'm a smoker and do smoke in my car, but not if there are non-smokers in the car with me- never mind kids! And of course, anyone who chooses to smoke in a car with children is a selfish moron who deserves a fine. But how is this going to be enforced? Retailers operate a 'challenge 25' rule when selling age restricted products. Are the police expected to stop any driver who is smoking with someone in the car who looks under 25 and challenge the passenger for ID? This really is a waste of time and money.
Guest MattP Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 i smoke , however i do not do it in front of my kids....never have never will...but if my kids are not in the car i will have one...thatchers britain On a serious note a dreadful infringement again on civil liberties, the state has no right to tell anyone whether they can smoke in a car or not. What's the next step? Go into people's houses and fine them if they aren't feeding their children healthy food? Fines for watching too much TV? This isn't the way to go about targeting shit parenting.
inckley fox Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 On a serious note a dreadful infringement again on civil liberties, the state has no right to tell anyone whether they can smoke in a car or not. What's the next step? Go into people's houses and fine them if they aren't feeding their children healthy food? Fines for watching too much TV? This isn't the way to go about targeting shit parenting. Surely there are quite a few things we reasonably expect people not to do in a car, because they affect the safety of others - like reading the newspaper or texting while they're driving, or being drunk. But I agree that this isn't the way to target shit parenting. I'm not sure we'd agree on the huge swathes of extra powers I'd love to give the social services, or teachers, but I do agree with you that the 'law out of a hat' isn't going to help.
Guest MattP Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 If the intention is safety then why is the ban not for anyone in the car instead of just children? Passive smoking affects everyone whatever age they are.
inckley fox Posted 17 December 2014 Posted 17 December 2014 If the intention is safety then why is the ban not for anyone in the car instead of just children? Passive smoking affects everyone whatever age they are. I suppose I'm equating something which is healthy with something which is unsafe. Where children are concerned, I'd imagine it's because we consider them to be below the age of social responsibility - so they aren't expected to be able to say 'look, I'm not getting in that car because someone is smoking'. In other words, if you're old enough to decide whether you want to smoke or not, then you're old enough to decide whether or not you wish to be in a car with someone who's smoking. I'd apply the same logic to enclosed smoking areas in pubs, personally.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.