Wales consults on car smoking ban

Drivers in Wales who smoke with children in the auto could soon discover themselves hit with a £50 on-the-spot fine, following the launch right now of a 6-week consultation on the automobile smoking ban to shield youngsters from the effect of second-hand smoke.

Widespread sense?

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

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

And, of course, you can drive yourself when you’re under 18.

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

This implies enforcement of the law will need a common 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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Well being and security initial

Smoking is already banned across the UK in commercial autos as part of the ban on smoking in the workplace, and those who oppose it getting extended to private automobiles usually cite the argument of higher-level interference into what must be a private option – 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 totally.

Smoking does have significant, even fatal, wellness implications which are amplified massively in the confines of a auto.

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

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

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

If the new regulations are approved, they will possibly take impact 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 remain in touch with the Department of Well being in England to co-ordinate its method.

What do you think? Is this an instance of the nanny-state or do we need to have to place the overall health and security of our children above all else?

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

Wales consults on car smoking ban