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Rant Car smoking ban

Discussion in 'General' started by erratum1, 16 Nov 2011.

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  1. TheKrumpet

    TheKrumpet Once more, into the breach!

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    This seems to be the mentality unfortunately. I can understand the ban on smoking in enclosed places, as it would actively harm others. But this one goes right over my head. It's not like people smoking in a car are hurting anyone other than themselves. Provided they have the common decency to not smoke if there's kids in the car or any passengers who might take offence, anyway.

    And while we're at it, clip-on-ties (just lazy) and 'Jeggings' (not real clothes, and they sound stupid).
     
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  2. mkb

    mkb Minimodder

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    That's the issue in a nutshell.
     
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  3. Teelzebub

    Teelzebub Up yours GOD,Whats best served cold

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    Tbh if its their car and the passengers are informed the driver/owner may be smoking then they have the choise to go in the car or not I dont think they have the right to ask the driver not to smoke
     
    Last edited: 18 Nov 2011
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  4. Blarte

    Blarte Moderate Modder

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    And what else would you lot have the government BAN / make illegal for individuals to do in their own car/house (oh yes, house as that will be next)

    I seldom smoke in the car but if I did ITS MY CAR and my right to do so if I so wished.
     
  5. Blademrk

    Blademrk Why so serious?

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    Since you can get fined for undue care and attention if your eating/drinking while driving I would have though smoking while driving would have come under the same laws...
     
  6. GaryP

    GaryP RIP Tel

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    Couldn't agree more if the helmet driving can't talk and look ahead at the same time instead of staring at the passenger and having an occasional glance at the road ahead. We have all been behind one of them. Usually waving their hand about to to emphasize the point.

    I have seen a crash caused by a woman dropping a ciggie on the carpet in front of her. She looked down, straight through a roundabout, bounced up a kerb between two junctions leaving the car in a big gorse bush. Sump smashed on kerb leaving oil everywhere. I was a couple of cars back so got out and as we got to the car she was opening the door and said she had dropped the cigarette before she crashed and was worried the car might go up so we all stood well back. I had my name taken and they took a statement from me as I witnessed it but I heard later she admitted driving without due care and attention.

    I also know of a bloke in Plymouth years ago who had one of those blue three wheeler things (plastic pigs - see pic below) that were used by disabled people who filled up a petrol can and was driving back with it inside the aforementioned plastic pig and sparked up ! Car went up with him. Killed him obviously. This was about a year or two before they were phased out. It made the national press. The second one is more for the Darwin Awards admittedly.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: 18 Nov 2011
  7. supermonkey

    supermonkey Deal with it

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    A lecherous git staring at you doesn't affect your health; a person smoking next to you does. My question was framed in the context of a person causing harm through passive smoke. If we're going to pick over whether or not I'm loitering on a street corner, we can always change the activity and venue (not that I think it makes much difference). What if I'm sitting on a park bench, peacefully, reading a book. I'm not shooting babies nor engaging in any other nefarious behavior. I'm minding my own business. No, it's not illegal to sit next to me and light up. Is it moral?

    As it relates to cars, there is already plenty of legislation to help improve public safety with respect to pedestrians. I understand that automobiles in the UK have to undergo pedestrian crash tests, we have speed limits for certain areas, pedestrian-only zones, etc. If we're content with curbing some vehicle behavior in the name of public safety, why not do the same with smokers?
     
  8. GaryP

    GaryP RIP Tel

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    Me too. Right result as far as I am concerned, just the wrong reason.
     
  9. GaryP

    GaryP RIP Tel

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    See my above post !

    Totally agree with you, most people would ignore it, but at least you could be charged with it. It's only drivers that should be banned from smoking, everyone else in the car can smoke themselves silly as far as I am concerned.
     
  10. Teelzebub

    Teelzebub Up yours GOD,Whats best served cold

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    Yea but surely no one should be allowed to smoke in the car a passenger could just as easily drop a cig on the floor that could roll under a seat and then the driver would have to put it out because its now in his part of the car, Or the smoke from the passengers could get in the drivers eyes so he was temporarily blinded.
     
  11. GaryP

    GaryP RIP Tel

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    The driver can pull over, the passenger can look immediately. If you dropped a *** in your lap when you are driving your instant reaction is to look down. I can see you are playing devils advocate (or fishing ;)), but assuming you are being serious the smoke etc is a bit overkill, but its the instant reaction of the driver thats the problem as far as I am concerned.
     
  12. Carrie

    Carrie Multimodder

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    That is a matter of opinion, Sir (i use the term loosely), it damn may well affect my sense of well being :p


    Your's might be, mine was not when I dropped one driving as i continued to drive until I could pull up and stop. Perhaps I'm just a better driver than you ;)
     
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  13. Teelzebub

    Teelzebub Up yours GOD,Whats best served cold

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    Ok you driving down the motorway in the fast lane say doing around 70mph when all hell brakes loose with this passenger trying retrieve the cig they have just dropped thats pretty distracting on its own wouldn't you say, Now have you ever tried to pull over and stop in those circumstances its damn well impossiible and pretty dangerours to quickly change lanes and pull over onto the hard shoulder on a motorway.
     
    Last edited: 18 Nov 2011
  14. Teelzebub

    Teelzebub Up yours GOD,Whats best served cold

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    You might not mind that happening to you but I can tell you all the women I've known and that's quite a lot find it pretty offensive and unnerving
     
  15. GaryP

    GaryP RIP Tel

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    Only once, when my headgasket went, was pretty scary I must admit, and I was doing a bit over 70 too ! I was lucky that there wasn't too much traffic on the M5 at the time.

    Unless the dropped ciggy was under the driver you have time to slow down. I understand what you are saying and I can't say I care if they were to ban the driver or everyone as I am non smoker, but IMHO a total ban would be a bit overkill. Its the dropping the *** in your lap that causes the instant reaction, like scalding yourself with coffee etc.
     
  16. Bogomip

    Bogomip ... Yo Momma

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    What an EXCELLENT retort sir(s), managing to steer your way calmly around my perfectly valid points and focussing instead upon creating new scenarios in which yes, having a *** in your mouth is not going to be the worst thing in the world.

    They can use gears whilst having a cigarette in their hand in the very short time it takes to move down gears? Great, well done. I probably cant, im an average driver who doesnt have practise at crashing and emergency stops.

    And you can just be old and be a car dealer as your profession for the past 20 years.

    Yes ok, I will concede that the tax generated is likely greater than the health care cost.

    At the end of the day, its dangerous to both be doing something like smoking whilst driving and to the health of your passengers. Comments on the sensible posts and points above, sensible replies encouraged, pointless posts going "snort LOL BOGOMIP OMG!!" can **** right off.
     
  17. specofdust

    specofdust Banned

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    But it's dangerous to talk too, as in, you are distracted from the road any time you have a conversation. This has been proven. You're also less capable at driving when you change the tune, scratch your balls, and lower your window. Does that mean all of these things should also be made illegal?
     
  18. Teelzebub

    Teelzebub Up yours GOD,Whats best served cold

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    Lets face it your views are just that a OTT opinion and little more.
     
    Last edited: 19 Nov 2011
  19. Bogomip

    Bogomip ... Yo Momma

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    All exceptional points:

    • Radios provide a process by which the driver is focusing not only on the road but upon something slightly else. This helps prevent dangerous collisions when faced with a dull monotonous drive and drivers falling asleep.
    • Policing "having a conversation" would be too much of a task to work in reality. In order for a law to be tangeable and work as a law, it must be policable in some way shape or form.
    • Lowering your window has been made much easier with the installation of electric windows, requiring little time to do. Some cars can even do it from the steering wheel I believe.
    • Scratching your balls is difficult for the same reason as "having a conversation".

    I dont necessarily disagree on any particular point, and yes I believe eating whilst driving should be banned, and yes it is dangerous to do all of these things but at the end of the day, some things are worse than others, and some things are easier to manage than others. Its about reducing risk as opposed to introducing marshal law to things.

    Thanks for this, please address my points then call me a useless poster. This is a discussion, you must therefore include discussion of the points made as specofdust did. Please see this website for some advise when entering into a debate and/or discussion.

    Please also abide by the forum posting rules, you may view them here:
    http://forums.bit-tech.net/faq.php?faq=new_faq_item#faq_rule_of_fight
     
  20. Teelzebub

    Teelzebub Up yours GOD,Whats best served cold

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    Tbh I'm a non smoker myself so it wouldn't affect me if they did ban all or just the driver from smoking in the car I just feel that with all the things that could be banned smoking while driving comes very low on the list and there's been a fairly relentless campaign against smokers in general.

    I'm also a non drinker I think its time there should be a zero level of alcohol allowed for drivers but strangely enough that gets over looked all the time.

    I too have twice had the occasion where I've had to get to the hard shoulder from the fast lane once when the fan belt broke and the other time when water got into the engine a blew a hole in the side of the block very scary and dangerous.

    Oh and once the passenger behind me put a can of coke on the floor which rolled under my seat and under the clutch peddle :eeek:
     
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