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It's bad for your health, it's expensive, it's antisocial and it's against the law in enclosed public places; so as a logical next step, should smoking while driving be banned?
Now, I'm not a smoker so of course my view is going to be biased but I do believe there is a strong argument for a total ban. Putting the health issues to one side, it's another distraction for drivers when they should be concentrating on the road.
We know all too well that distracted drivers cause accidents. Whether they are eating a sandwich, reading a map, or texting the latest results - the consequences can be disastrous and life changing.
It's also a hot topic at the moment with the Government considering whether young drivers should be restricted in the passengers they can carry.
As a company car driver, smoking isn't allowed in my vehicle because of our policy and it will be the same for many other employees, but it's common to see drivers smoking behind the wheel.
If you search the news archives, there are numerous examples of serious accidents (sometimes fatal) where a driver has had a serious accident when a cigarette has fallen into their lap, or they have not managed to get it out of the window and instead it's bounced back into the vehicle.
Smoking is on the decline and it is banned in certain public places so this would seem like a natural extension of the law. Whether people smoke or not is their choice, but where they smoke can adversely impact others.
To me, it seems really clear that smoking and driving is a risky business that makes drivers more likely to be involved in an accident; as a result, surely this is an easy choice to make.
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