Would a smoking ban in cars work?

If it stops even a few from doing it then that's a bonus.

I do think that it would be difficult to enforce.

In my experience the mobile phone ban doesn't seem to be working, I see many people driving and talking on their phones at the same time.

I cringe when I think of all the years my husband was a smoker and smoked in the house even when our children were around (as many people did then). But somewhere I must have had some inkling because I absolutely refused to have him smoke in the bedroom (although he kept his ciggies and lighter on his bedside table). He also cringes now by the way.

I agree with Phoenix that it would be difficult to enforce. The number of times I see drivers with a phone clamped to their ear............

I agree I think it is a good idea but, as phoenix says I think it would be very hard or impossible to enforce. The police have a very hard job to do now, have they really got time to follow cars to see if people are smoking? They don't really manage to stop people using their mobile phones so what chance of this? Nice idea though, I do not understand why people do not see what damage they are doing to their children, you might occasionally see someone with the window open but not when it is raining and.......well, say no more, when did it not rain recently?

It would not be easy to implement but it makes a very good point by giving the clear message that it is very harmful for children. If its banned in work places it should be banned near children.
I am sure it could certainly be implemented in towns and other areas where it is easier to see it happening.
I wonder if "safety cameras" are now good enough to catch clear images of cars and the occupants?

I do think it would be hard to enforce the only way to do it would be a total ban on smoking when in a car altogether, what is to stop a person smoking say on their way to collect children from school etc the car would still be full of fumes when the little ones got in the car so that defeats the object (does that make sense ?) very difficult I think but anyone with any ounce of common sense wouldn't smoke in a confined space near little ones anyway.

I have been a heavy passive smoker all of my life. My parents were heavy smokers, and when I started work, most people smoked. My ex was a smoker as was my ex boss. To crown it all, another boss used to swan around with a cigar in his mouth with me running in the opposite direction.

Even when smoking was banned at work, my boss thought that she was immune to all rules and still smoked heavily.

Much as I love the idea I think that the ban would be impossible to enforce.

It should be banned. To protect children from selfish, idiotic parents, and for safer reasons.

No harder to enforce than the use of mobile phones. And they banned that.

Don't know why no one thought of it before.

safety. Not safer

Those who already smoke in cars containing children will continue to do so; those who don't will be unaffected by any new law. This is a PR exercise. How about introducing a law that any parent feeding a child burger and chips or in excess of 120 g sweets or chocolate more than once a week will be prosecuted and fined? Any parent allowing a child to watch an X-rated DVD will be prosecuted and fined. Any parent who drinks more than the recommended number of alcohol units per week will be prosecuted and fined? Any parent who fails to take a child for six-monthly check-ups at the dentist will be prosecuted and fined? Any parent who fails to have their child protected by routine vaccinations will be prosecuted and fined. Any parent…

All worthy ideas from the point of view of child welfare; all completely silly in practical terms. As for the cost of policing them…

I don't think smoking and being law-abiding are mutually exclusive Absent Consequently there are bound to be those who will comply.

And of course you're entitled to rant and go OTT if that's what makes you happy how you feel.

I think it would be better to educate or humiliate rather than legislate.
Cringeworthy TV advertising that gave the health education message whilst making it antisocialy uncool might work better.

I totally agree absent.

I was making the same point to DH earlier today.

I agree with jingle at least an outright ban would go some way to protect vulnerable children who have no choice but to sit in the confines of a car and breath in the smoke. Yes there will still be people who do it but if they are caught then the law would come into force and they would be fined or whatever. I cannot understand why anyone would want to force smoke onto their child. It was different years ago when no one really understood the damage smoking could do, but today there is absolutely no excuse.

I cannot see the connection Absent an occasional burger and chips will not really harm a child will it? Having a burger and chips 3,4,5, 6 times a day or week would. A child being ferried around in the car with a pair of chain smoking parents could seriously harm a child's health.

Have to agree about the X rated movies though. Vile.

That is a very defeatist attitude absent.

Not sure if you are serious with the rest of your post. It would be too hard to legislate on what goes on inside private homes, and probably undesirable at that. Although some of the things you mention could be thought of as child neglect, and intervention might be possible.

Jingle In practice it would be well nigh impossible to press charges for neglect over smoking, unless perhaps, the child had serious health issues and the parental smoking was exacerbating this.

I agree with Absent on this one. The law would be unenforceable and of course it would all be the fault of the police, who are under more than enough pressure right now reconciling rising expectations from the public and falling budgets. And the next logical step would surely have to be making smoking illegal in houses where children live. As you say, Jingle, this would be too hard, and probably undesirable.

Sadly, the sort of parent who doesn't care about a child being enveloped in their cancerous fug isn't going to be too bothered about a law that's only going to net a handful of people a year.

But jingl as I have said up there ^^ I see lots of people around here using their phones whilst driving, and apparently getting away with it.

If a current law is being flagrantly broken, what hope is there for this one?

Does anyone know of anyone that has actually been charged for using a mobile phone whilst driving? There's nothing more scary/annoying than looking in the rear view mirror and seeing the person behind you chatting away on the phone.

Aka Whatever has caused that outburst? I never suggested that smoking and abiding by the law were mutually exclusive. But I do maintain that anyone who is already stupid enough to put their children's health and, possibly, lives at risk by smoking when they are in the a car is unlikely to be affected by a law that the police cannot possibly have the time to monitor. I wasn't ranting – I was merely suggesting examples of other unhealthy practices that could be considered suitable for laws to protect the health of children but which would be equally impractical.

For the record I, to my shame, started smoking again towards the end of last year, having quit two years ago. I am a deeply law-abiding person. I have never smoked in the car or house (children present or not) or in children's playgrounds.

Gillybob I said burger and chips more than once a week.

There are so many issues affecting child health - including those for which parents are responsible that absent mentioned.

There are also many children who are: living in urban areas with very poor air quality, living in sub-standard, overcrowded, damp, accommodation with mould growing on the walls; suffering health conditions directly related to poor diet, etc., etc. These are all matters over which the government has some control but it chooses to put forward a proposal that, with less money being spent on law enforcement, would have negligible impact.

I would imagine that, given the current climate, there are very few parents who smoke in their cars with children present, and those that do would probably continue to do so even if such a law were introduced.

Given that the number of smokers has drastically reduced over the last twenty or so years, I wonder why the incidence of childhood asthma is now so high. I only knew one girl at school who suffered with asthma - now it seems it is commonplace. It seems to me that there are many other discussions and proposals that should take precedence if we truly want to protect children - but that might involve looking at the food industry, the enforcement of minimum standards in housing, the reduction in car usage, by means of a better and cheaper public transport system, to improve air quality, etc.