Wales consults on auto smoking ban

Drivers in Wales who smoke with youngsters in the vehicle could soon locate themselves hit with a £50 on-the-spot fine, following the launch nowadays of a 6-week consultation on the car smoking ban to shield youngsters from the impact of second-hand smoke.

Widespread sense?

The thought of a smoking ban in cars was first mooted earlier this year when Westminster MPs voted by 376 to 107 in favour of a change in legislation which could also see motorists given penalty points along to go with the fine.

Below the new Welsh proposals, smoking will be banned in private vehicles in which children beneath the age of 18 are present – which could open up a whole can of worms given that it is not illegal to smoke below the age of 18.

And, of course, you can drive oneself when you’re beneath 18.

So, in theory at least, a 17-year-old driver could be fined for smoking in a auto in which they were carrying an additional 17-year-old passenger, who was also smoking.

This means enforcement of the law will require a frequent sense strategy, which will add additional fuel to what is currently a heated debate, as the MoneySuperMarket’s Facebook feed highlights….
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Overall health and safety first

Smoking is currently banned across the UK in commercial automobiles as part of the ban on smoking in the workplace, and those who oppose it being extended to private automobiles usually cite the argument of higher-level interference into what should be a individual selection – or ‘nanny state’ to give it its tabloid title.

But to write it off as an example of government mollycoddling is to miss the point entirely.

Smoking does have significant, even fatal, well being implications which are amplified massively in the confines of a car.

For instance, a single cigarette smoked in a moving car with the window wound half-way down will expose a youngster in the centre back seat to around 2-thirds as significantly second hand smoke as the average smoke-filled pub.

Wind the windows up and you can crank those carcinogen levels up to 11 occasions those of a smoky boozer.

It’s not just irresponsible to topic kids to the effects of second-hand smoke, it is negligent.

If the new regulations are authorized, they will possibly take effect from 2015 and will only apply to Wales – so any non-residents will have to be on their guard when crossing the border – but the Welsh government has intimated it will stay in touch with the Division of Well being in England to co-ordinate its approach.

What do you think? Is this an instance of the nanny-state or do we need to put the well being and safety of our kids above all else?

Let us know via the comments section below or on Twitter, making use of the hashtag #CarSmoke

Wales consults on auto smoking ban