March 24, 201016 yr Ban smoking in cars to save children, say doctors By Jenny Hope Last updated at 9:59 AM on 24th March 2010 Comments (355) Add to My Stories Ban: Stop smoking in cars to save children's health say doctors Smoking should be banned in all cars to save children from the health dangers caused by passive inhalation, says a report from the Royal College of Physicians. Doctors are calling for urgent action after figures revealed passive smoking triggers 22,000 cases of asthma and wheezing in children every year. Around 9,500 hospital admissions among children are linked to the effects of secondhand smoke inside and outside the family home, says the report, which analysed existing research. Forty babies die from sudden infant death syndrome every year caused by passive smoking - one in five of all such deaths. At least two million children are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home along with 'avoidable' health risks, says the report. Professor John Britton, chairman of the Royal College's tobacco advisory group, said legislation to ban smoking in the home would be unenforceable. But society's views about the ' acceptability' of smoking must be changed and the easiest way to do this is a blanket ban in cars and vans, he said. This would be simpler to police than the current situation which expects enforcement officers to differentiate between business vehicles, where smoking is banned, and those owned privately. More... Patients 'at risk' as A&E doctors make hurried decisions to beat four-hour time target Professor Britton said: 'We would recommend a ban on smoking in all vehicles.' In addition the ban on smoking in enclosed spaces should be extended to parks, playgrounds and other areas where children congregate, he went on. Richard Ashcroft, a professor of bioethics at Queen Mary, University of London - who contributed to the report - said even parked drivers who never have child passengers should get out of their cars before lighting up. This would not be a 'significant reduction' in their liberties, he argued. However, Simon Clark, director of the smokers' lobby group Forest, said: 'We wouldn't encourage people to smoke around children but adults should be allowed to use their common sense. 'These proposals go way beyond what is acceptable in a free society.' Professor Terence Stephenson, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said it had already demanded a ban on smoking in cars with children travelling in them. A Department of Health spokesman said: 'By increasing the level of awareness of the harmfulness of secondhand smoke, we will encourage people to voluntarily make their homes and cars smoke free.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1260202/Ban-smoking-cars-save-children-say-doctors.html#ixzz0j8Lbuh2e
March 25, 201016 yr Ugh. Just teach children that breathing smoke is bad for them. Tell them to tell their parents this. It's not that difficult.
March 25, 201016 yr People should just try to quit smoking or not start in the first place. It only does damage to everyone including the smoker.
March 25, 201016 yr What a retarded stupid idea, whoever came out with that is a fucking moron, I don't even smoke but if people want to in their own car, let them.
March 25, 201016 yr It's true, and the solution shouldn't be to ban stuff. We as a society should shame parents more often. Shame them for not spending more time with their kids, for not cooking healthy dinners, for not setting good examples. Somehow this is off-the-table as a solution because parents are untouchable. If you criticize them, you are instantly attacked viciously. "DON'T TELL ME HOW TO RAISE MY CHILD." I won't. But I'll offer helpful tips that are backed up with evidence. And if you don't follow them, I'll feel bad for your child and probably stop being your friend.
March 25, 201016 yr Author It's true, and the solution shouldn't be to ban stuff. We as a society should shame parents more often. Shame them for not spending more time with their kids, for not cooking healthy dinners, for not setting good examples. Somehow this is off-the-table as a solution because parents are untouchable. If you criticize them, you are instantly attacked viciously. "DON'T TELL ME HOW TO RAISE MY CHILD." I won't. But I'll offer helpful tips that are backed up with evidence. And if you don't follow them, I'll feel bad for your child and probably stop being your friend. Excellently put! If these parents weren't devoid of common-sense, these issues wouldn't exist in the first place.:dozey:
March 25, 201016 yr The pollution involved is also an issue, even worse for cities already with pollution problems like LA.
March 25, 201016 yr It's true, and the solution shouldn't be to ban stuff. We as a society should shame parents more often. Shame them for not spending more time with their kids, for not cooking healthy dinners, for not setting good examples. Somehow this is off-the-table as a solution because parents are untouchable. If you criticize them, you are instantly attacked viciously. "DON'T TELL ME HOW TO RAISE MY CHILD." I won't. But I'll offer helpful tips that are backed up with evidence. And if you don't follow them, I'll feel bad for your child and probably stop being your friend. I agree with you, political correctness has gone absolutely mad in the last decade or so, it isn't right to criticize bad parenting so let's make a blanket ban to remove the risk, it's yet another moronic idea by central government, where common sense obviously checked out quite some time ago.
March 25, 201016 yr If I wanna make my child smoke 40 a day in my car then i'm gonna do it dammit. I'm sure Mark would make an excellent parent. Or perhaps his twisted mental processes would do more damage than smoking in the car ever could. Yeah, i'm gonna go with that one.
March 25, 201016 yr Why should a child have to breathe in disgusting toxic air in the car? Someone has to protect them because some parents do not have the common sense to wait until they get out of the car to smoke.
March 25, 201016 yr Why should a child have to breathe in disgusting toxic air in the car? Someone has to protect them because some parents do not have the common sense to wait until they get out of the car to smoke. Why should people who don't have children not be allowed to smoke in their own car?, this ban isn't just for people carrying children as passengers, it's a blanket ban which is moronic.
March 25, 201016 yr If the law you have is about protecting children from cigarette smoke then I'm all for it, it's the blanket ban I'm against, in fact I don't think smoking should have been banned in clubs and bars etc completly, I think there should be seperate sections but again the Government just banned it outright.
March 26, 201016 yr A Department of Health spokesman said: 'By increasing the level of awareness of the harmfulness of secondhand smoke, we will encourage people to voluntarily make their homes and cars smoke free.' I suppose this is how they feel it's a societal change, not just another Puritan move. Of course, idiots who are stupid enough to smoke in an enclosed space with their children won't ever understand, and once they get out of that car, they'll light up and go inside their house and sit with their kids in the living room, puffing away. There are no quick fixes, for quite a few reasons in society over the past 15 or 20 years, there are a small percentage of people who just appear to be stupid beyond help. Banning them from being stupid isn't going to stop them acting stupid in other ways, it's just going to needlessly piss off most people who have some level of common sense.
March 26, 201016 yr Author If I wanna make my child smoke 40 a day in my car then i'm gonna do it dammit. No surprise there whatsoever. :dozey:
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