NationStates Jolt Archive

At least it's not in the US :D well not yet at least....


Drivers face smoking ban
From:
By Anna Patty

February 28, 2006

Smoker / File
Butt out ... the car is the latest battleground in the war on smoking / File

SMOKERS could be banned from lighting up in their own cars following the New South Wales's Government's decision to ban the habit in pubs and clubs.
Health Minister John Hatzistergos will today support a parliamentary inquiry to debate the pros and cons of imposing a motorist smoking ban.

Enter your feedback Your say: Too many distractions?

Christian Democratic Party MLC Fred Nile has drafted a private member's Bill on the issue.

Mr Hatzistergos said the Bill would be introduced in the next sitting of Parliament, which begins today.

NSW Health and non-government groups have already campaigned to stop parents smoking around young children in the car and at home.

But Mr Hatzistergos said the proposal should be further debated, with public opinion canvassed before it was seriously considered and passed as law.

Mr Hatzistergos said the Government would support a parliamentary inquiry to assess Mr Nile's Bill.

"I encourage open public debate on the issue and will look forward to the findings of the parliamentary inquiry," Mr Hatzistergos said.

"Most adults are responsible when it comes to their child's health but the few who smoke with children in the car are placing their child at considerable risk from passive smoking.

"The World Health Organisation says children are particularly at risk from second-hand smoke because they are still developing and have higher breathing rates than adults."

NSW Health ran a car and home smoke-free zone campaign between 2002 to 2005 and estimated 84 per cent of cars are now smoke-free.

Mr Hatzistergos said there had also been a 56 per cent increase in the number of homes in which the habit had been banned following the campaign.

He said there was strong international scientific evidence of the increased risk of lung cancer linked with passive smoking.

But there are few international example of smoking being banned in cars.

"Similar bans have been considered in Germany, California and New Jersey but always rejected for reasons of privacy and no evidence that it reduced road accidents," Mr Hatzistergos said.

"The exception is Maine, which in 2005 banned smoking near foster children [not biological children], including in cars."

The proposal is the latest in a series of clamp-downs on smokers.

Smoking in pubs and clubs will be limited to one room that has at least 25per cent of its surface space unenclosed, under laws announced by the State Government earlier this month.

Owners or operators of licensed premises will face fines of $5500 if they allow smoke to seep into non-smoking areas.

The decision came more than a year after former premier Bob Carr announced that smoking would be banned in enclosed spaces in pubs and clubs from July 1, 2007.

Minister for Planning Frank Sartor said the Government defined an unenclosed area as having 25 per cent of its surface space open with at least 10 per cent of the total ceiling and wall area remaining open to the elements at all times.

The remaining 15 per cent that makes up the unenclosed space can include windows and doors but only if they are locked open during trading hours.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18294583-28217,00.html



The whole cell phone while driving ban i get, but smoking??? Next thing you know it will be banned outside, and you can only smoke inside your house.

No, that'll be banned soon, so you'll only be able to smoke in the comfort of a well ventilated room where you're only a hazard to yourself...

What's wrong driving along SMSing on a mobile phone with cigarette in your mouth? :p

*dies of laughter*

This is funny as hell.

I think people will take up arms before they allow america to turn into such a police state.
:mp5: :sniper:

Down with Facism!

I think people will take up arms before they allow america to turn into such a police state.
:mp5: :sniper:

Down with Facism!

:rolleyes:

:rolleyes:

LOL they cant resist the moving smilies, it entertains them for hours

LOL they cant resist the moving smilies, it entertains them for hours

Apparently they do. I rarely use this smiley any more put posts like the one I quoted me want to :headbang:

Give me a break. The dangers of second hand smoke are vastly over rated. Anybody who lives in the city breathes in more carcinogens waiting for the bus.
All the info about how bad second hand smoke is for you is taken from the same flawed study. No one has bothered to do another one, 'cause they like the results of the first one.
Saw it on Penn & Teller so it must be true.:D

LOL they cant resist the moving smilies, it entertains them for hours
I quite agree; it does enteratain their infantile minds while we go about a mature discussion about the topic at hand.

I quite agree; it does enteratain their infantile minds while we go about a mature discussion about the topic at hand.


and dont forget that leet crap

and dont forget that leet crap
You, my friend, have committed the crime of making a gross understatement about that little dosy. It's not just 'crap' but a pox on the English language, and detrimental to any fine discussion. After all, how is one going to use it productively when argueing the merits of ending smoking and driving as a means of helping to create a more safe society?

You, my friend, have committed the crime of making a gross understatement about that little dosy. It's not just 'crap' but a pox on the English language, and detrimental to any fine discussion. After all, how is one going to use it productively when argueing the merits of ending smoking and driving as a means of helping to create a more safe society?


SMOKING R0XX0RS!!! FUCK FACISM!!!

maybe using it like that???? ;)

The whole cell phone while driving ban i get, but smoking??? Next thing you know it will be banned outside, and you can only smoke inside your house.

I personally think everything possible should be done to discourage smoking, so whats wrong with it just being restricted to inside your own home. That way you can only endanger your own health.

SMOKING R0XX0RS!!! FUCK FACISM!!!

maybe using it like that???? ;)
Quite so; though I declare, you've severely offended my sense of good grammar.

The more smoking banned the better off we'll be.

Quite so; though I declare, you've severely offended my sense of good grammar.


hopefully we can still be friends.

While I can certainly see the libertarian point of view that shudders in paranoia about this propsed Aussie legislation, I will say that driving around with an ember-tipped smoke-producing item in front of one's face while driving a car seems kinda irresponsible. I'm not sure if it's the government's place to shepherd its citizens quite that much, though.

My pet peeve with regard to smoking in vehicles is the incomprehensibly callous and selfish way these puffing pig-fuckers toss their lit butts out the damn window. It doesn't matter if it's in the middle of a drought and it lands on the side of the road starting a fire -- apparently the whole concept of the ASHTRAY escapes these twits. My home state has upped the fines for that dramatically, but honestly, how often are the cops going to witness someone doing that? It's like road rage -- a good idea to patrol for it, but it seems that it's too rare to actually catch someone in the act enough to become a true deterrent.

Seriously, why don't these assholes use their bleeding ashtrays? Bad enough people think the roads are their personal garbage cans, they gotta throw incendiary garbage too? When I was younger and far more irresponsible and self-righteous, if I saw someone flick one of those things, lit or not, out their window as I rode by on my bike, I'd skid to a stop, retrieve the butt and flick it back in their window. Many years later, I know that's a dangerous and potentially actionable response, but it's so childish and deliberately stupid to not use an ashtray that it pisses me off. Now if I'm at a light and I see that, I will get out of the car and stamp out the butt if it's lit.

Sorry for the rant. A law like this is a fair notion but bad in actual legislative practice. Now back to your regularly-scheduled thread.

Down with Facism!
Down with Facism!

Equality for the faces!

The more smoking banned the better off we'll be.


they should ban cigarettes and legalize marijuanna, cigarettes kill more people in a year than marijuanna ever has. and the killer one is legal.

hopefully we can still be friends.
I guess we can; after all, it was a minor offense, as it was merely done as an example.

Nothing we dont get in the UK, you get fined for eating in your car here if the engine is running,even if you have pulled over.:rolleyes:

I guess we can; after all, it was a minor offense, as it was merely done as an example.

of course.

Nothing we dont get in the UK, you get fined for eating in your car here if the engine is running,even if you have pulled over.:rolleyes:


wait you can get fined for eating??? try doing that in the US everyone would get fined

they should ban cigarettes and legalize marijuanna, cigarettes kill more people in a year than marijuanna ever has. and the killer one is legal.
I agree, mainly because marijuana kicks ass.

I agree, mainly because marijuana kicks ass.
Actually... Marijuana does have 1 victim... a cow who ate too much of the plant...

wait you can get fined for eating??? try doing that in the US everyone would get fined
Though it might solve the obseity and overweight problem there...

Though it might solve the obseity and overweight problem there...


yeah but what about those people like me rushing to work in the AM and no time to stop to eat? shouldn't they at least allow a granola bar or something?

Personally I see all legislation against smoking as hipocritical until the government starts to actually care about the citizen's health and ban smoking and put more restrictions on alcohol.

On top of that, the drinking age needs to be raised (but lowered for those in the military).

yeah but what about those people like me rushing to work in the AM and no time to stop to eat? shouldn't they at least allow a granola bar or something?
Well... learn to eat faster while walking to the car then... :D

Ick, I hate smoke. I don't really like being around people that smoke, and I feel sorry for myself about all the chicks I'm missing out on. BRING ON THE LEGISLATION! :D

Seriously, I don't care for it and wouldn't mind that much if it was banned. I question whether the government has the responsibility to do so, however.

they should ban cigarettes and legalize marijuanna, cigarettes kill more people in a year than marijuanna ever has. and the killer one is legal.

I can agree to that. Especially as an asthmatic raise in a house with two heavy smokers.

Well... learn to eat faster while walking to the car then... :D

i guess i can try that. i gotta stop being lazy

yeah but what about those people like me rushing to work in the AM and no time to stop to eat? shouldn't they at least allow a granola bar or something?

The working situation is insane. Wake up at the crack of 7AM, get to work by 9AM, work your ass off until 5PM - later, if they tell you to - and still have to take work home sometimes to finish it. Do this from monday till friday, and pray they don't ask you to work over the weekend.

We're a psuedo-slavery oriented world. Gotta get those papers done so we'll have the results of the new profit margins so we can tell how much we can lower our worker's wages and up the prices of our merchandise. Gotta get those advertisement results in so we know how brainwashed we have the public. Gotta fire all the workers in this area so we can hire workers in this area for less.

And the sad part is that it's all pointless, really. Working so hard for someone who's going to benefit so much more than you are from what you're doing. We are the batteries in the useless toy that is commercial business. We run out, they toss us out and get new ones. We come in packs. Boxes, if they buy us at Cosco. All so the dinosaur's flashing eyes can light up. All so the power ranger figure can say his catch phrase. All so they can sit on their green paper and pretend that they've got some importance in this world.

I've got a slight hatred for all things business, if you hadn't noticed. It's a small hatred, but it burns and flares wildly when I'm face to face with corporations and companies and conglomorates and monopolies and fat rich white men standing on a pile of their own self-righteous importance built upon the blood and work of those below them. It's really almost enough to make me vomit just by thinking about it.

In my small 12 person class alone we had two cigaret related accidents within a week!!! The two different people were lighting up and they rearended someone. They should be banned while driving!

In my small 12 person call alone we had two cigaret related accidents within a week!!! The two different people were lighting up and they rearended someone. They should be banned while driving!


why keep blaming the cigarette and not the retard lighting it?

why keep blaming the cigarette and not the retard lighting it?

They're both at fault. The cigarette is addictive, so he feels the need to continually smoke it, even while driving, so it's partly its fault. He doesn't have the willpower or sense to not smoke while driving, so it's partly his fault.

why keep blaming the cigarette and not the retard lighting it?

They're both at fault. The cigarette is addictive, so he feels the need to continually smoke it, even while driving, so it's partly its fault. He doesn't have the willpower or sense to not smoke while driving, so it's partly his fault.

Right Szanth. That is why we need to punish the bad drivers with tickets along with banning smoking while driving.

I support this law. In fact, smoking in general should be illegal, I think.

I support this law. In fact, smoking in general should be illegal, I think.


and if the guvment is so worried about losing the money in the tobacco industry makes then just make marijuanna legal. and then there will be no more war. everyone will be too high to fight.

Good, maybe all this progress will stamp out smoking.

Eh, don't bother banning it, just tax it lots and lots more! There's a rock solid way to get money, if they're gonna kill themselves, we're gonna buy the movie rights! Woohoo!

well my opinion in this is that i dont think it should be illegal to smoke and drive, Im not a smoker but i understand the ban in bars and resturants and stuff like that but in your own car ur not harming any one expect yourself and the people your around and most people if there asked not to smoke while there with that person wont smoke.

Eh, don't bother banning it, just tax it lots and lots more! There's a rock solid way to get money, if they're gonna kill themselves, we're gonna buy the movie rights! Woohoo!


That's the american spirit!

they should ban cigarettes and legalize marijuanna, cigarettes kill more people in a year than marijuanna ever has. and the killer one is legal.

Maybe we should just ban both? Because by your logical, even less people well die each year then.

Maybe we should just ban both? Because by your logical, even less people well die each year then.


then i wont have shit to do on saturday nights, oh well i guess i can go out and have a social life. wait i already do that on saturday nights. just have to start drinkin i guess. :)

then i wont have shit to do on saturday nights, oh well i guess i can go out and have a social life. wait i already do that on saturday nights. just have to start drinkin i guess. :)

Oh I think that will have to be banned to. Along with coffee, soda, chips, antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Dallas with all that stuff.

"You better take care of me, Lord. If you don't you're gonna have me on your hands."

well my opinion in this is that i dont think it should be illegal to smoke and drive, Im not a smoker but i understand the ban in bars and resturants and stuff like that but in your own car ur not harming any one expect yourself and the people your around and most people if there asked not to smoke while there with that person wont smoke.

You're absoulutly right. Hey, why not let people drink in their cars too! It's perfect, I mean, it's their car, right?

I do NOT want to know how bad our roads will be after that...

I agree to banning smoking while driving, but only if all other distracting acts are banned too.

I'd allow some conversation in the car, but no phones, alchohol, other drugs, or smoking.