Ash, the anti smoking folk, are trying to bring about legislation that would make it illegal for anyone to smoke in their car while transporting children under the age of 16.
Now, I don't smoke and forcing your children to breathe in second hand smoke is clearly a very poor idea, But smoking is not illegal. And your car is your car, it's yours. What might be next down the line? No smoking in your home? Where does it end?
If you keep chipping away at what people can and can't do eventually you're left with a police state. It should not be up to the government to tell people whether or not to smoke around their kids. Most parents will be aware of the dangers of second hand smoke and even though they smoke themselves they won't smoke around their children. Dandy. But to make it illegal to do so smacks of Big Brother. Also who is going to enforce this law? The Gardai? Sheeeeee-eet, they have enough to be going on with.
You cannot legislate for personal choices. Or rather you should not be able to do so. As long as smoking is legal the actions of the smoking parent should be none of the government's business.
Here here.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if a smoker can work for Ash...
I'm sure they can and do. It's funny, one of the heaviest smokers I ever knew was a GP. He smoked Sweet Afton too, which if I remember correctly don't have filters.
ReplyDeleteYou don't smoke.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have kids.
You don't have a car.
What the fuck are YOU getting all worked up about FMC?
I'm sorry you can't read. I truly am.
ReplyDeleteDown with opinion pieces by opinionated writers on opinion blogs, that's what I say!
ReplyDeleteFor the sake of argument, can't it be said that it's fair to protect those who have no choice in the matter? I don't think the government should be able to tell you whether you can smoke and especially in your own car or home, but I'm not sure about around your children. Not to be comparing kids to animals, but if anyone or anything is helpless in matters that can greatly affect their health, shouldn't they be protected? Ponderous...
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's unfortunate if people smoke around their kids and not great for thewir health, but it ought not to be up to the government to make it a law. They have enough power over us as is. Next they'll try pass it into law pregnant women can't drink coffee or eat runny cheese or some nonsense.
ReplyDeleteSweary, I know. The lack of reading comprehension made me laugh though.
None of the government's business if you smoke in your car, at your house, etc. They have every right to regulate public places, but NEVER private. That said, have you ever seen some idiot swerving all over the road because they're trying to light up? Forget the kids--what about everybody else on the road???
ReplyDeleteRight. It's a public/private thing.
ReplyDeleteAs to drivers veering all over the road, the biggest cause of most swerving I see is folk on mobiles- although that's supposed to be illegal too.
Whatabout dogs? Who is looking after their interests?
ReplyDeleteUp excitedly into the car with them with their tails wiggly wagging for a walk in the forest and then the owners light up with the smokes. Someone should get ASH and PETA together on this.
PETASH!
I bet you anything Newkirk has something cooking for that eventual campaign.
ReplyDeleteI agree it ought not be made a law. You cannot legislate too far against people's private practices. Having said that, as far as children are concerned, in really egregious smoking cases, there might be room to act with child endangerment laws that are already on the books.
ReplyDeleteMy friend John's mother smoked 60 a day all throughout her pregnancy.
He was born way undersized and was a sickly child. Despite coming from a family of 6 footers, John remained tiny and has had serious lung and kidney problems all his life that doctors have directly attributed to his childhood when he was almost constantly breathing in his mother's smoke in a flat in London.
Banning smoking in cars wouldn't have made a bit of difference to him, but his health was seriously and needlessly compromised while he was powerless to do anything about it. His life was materially and adversely affected in a way that is with him still. He needed protection from the actions of his mother and e have laws already to cover that, only in his case nobody used them.
I think people, even parents ought to retain the right to smoke in their houses and cars, but in severe cases, we ought to use the laws we already have to go after parents who smoke so much around their children as to be neglectful of their child's health. At that point, the child's right to have their health protected supercedes the parent's right to smoke.
But banning all smoking in cars attacks the problem too broadly, affects adults not endangering a soul but themselves - which we ought to have the right to do; is broad enough to be unenforceable and a waste of police time; and is therefore unlikely to protect, in much of any way at all - the very people the anti-smoking-in-car-people claim to want to protect: children.
It's a hammer law when a scalpel law is required.
I don't think it would work Sam, because what constitutes a severe case? For every poor unfortunate like John, there are people born to smokers who are unaffected by their smoking. Even legally speaking it would be very difficult to prove in a court that John's mother's smoking was the main contributary factor to his ill health (although I accept what you're saying completely) Big Tobacco would fight that one tooth and nail.
ReplyDeleteFor me what it boils down to is being told what to do by an outside agency. People have a right to smoke if they want, and if it is in a privatly owned space, when they want. It's too much of a slippery slope otherwise- although that said people should -hopefully- not endanger their kid's health.
The concept is noble enough, but putting it into practice is impossible and is an over-step of the role of government.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we need to legislate for everything these days? It's feckin infuriating that people will not take responsibility for their own actions instead of looking to and blaming the state for their woes.
I swear Sheepie, ever new day brings me closer to 'get the hell off my lawn' way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteWhy stop with smoke? Why not make it illegal to turn your children into multiple-chinned fat fucks by feeding them on TV dinners and MacDonalds and KFC and fuck-all else?
ReplyDeleteWhy not declare it illegal to make your children stupid by being a stupid, illiterate fuckhead yourself?
And what about a law to stop incredibly stupid, ugly people having children in the first place?
Bock for Taoisach!
ReplyDeleteRight, the slippery slope. There are so many people who feel there should be MORE regulations and laws waiting in the wings. Let one in, and it gets harder and harder to keep the rest at bay.
ReplyDeleteThey've already passed the law here so folks can't smoke with kids in the car. Makes sense especially here when it's always so fucking cold that your windows are rolled up.
ReplyDeleteThey have? Jebus.
ReplyDeleteI can top that one, Medbh. In California, there's a senior housing complex that has a rule where you can't smoke in your own apartment! Some old guy with lung problems complained and started to gather signatures, etc. and now the smokers have to leave their apartments to smoke outside, away from the buildings.
ReplyDeleteWait, you can't smoke inside your own HOME?? But how is that even enforcable? Do they have smoking police? How would anyone even know?
ReplyDeleteapparently you aren't allowed to smoke in rented accommodation now.....arse and piffle......that's what I say.....actually that's what I say to most things.....
ReplyDeleteSoon swearing in cars with those under sixteen shall be banned.
ReplyDeleteOh fuck.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great topic for discussion!
ReplyDeleteHere in Australia, in at least some of our states, it is illegal to smoke with children in the car but I have never yet heard of it being enforced.
A friend of mine says 'you can't legislate against stupidity' but that doesn't stop our politicians trying sometimes.
You make a good pint that smoking is not illegal but neither are many other potentially dangerous activities.
Driving a car is legal. Driving OVER someone is, in some way I'm sure, illegal.
Mountaineering is legal but if you take your children along and don't train them and protect them from danger and they are injured or die, there are probably laws to prosecute you.
This legislation may be the government's way of ensuring any future legal action from children who were damaged in their parents' passive smoke environments bypasses the government and is directed at the parents.
I think that Smoking in cars is normal but if you are alone or without children.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Kevin
Thanks for share this great information in my opinion smoking in cars could be dangerous because in some cases the tobacco can cause dizziness, you can suffer an accident
ReplyDeleteRegards,
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