From tomorrow in  Tasmania, it is illegal to smoke in cars where there are passengers under 18 years old.   Those caught breaking the new laws face on the spot fines of $110, or, if they take the matter to court and are found guilty, a maximum fine of $2,200 (although for the first 3 months the fines will not be enforced, those caught being given just a warning during the initial “education” period).

Introducing the new laws, Health and Human Services Minister Lara Giddings said:

“Children exposed to smoke inside vehicles have a higher risk of asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, coughing and wheezing, middle ear infection and meningococcal infection,”

“Smokers should not expose children to these dangers and from tomorrow they will be breaking the law if they do so.”

Good move!.  I’ve always thought people who smoke around children are stupid and irresponsible.  (Well actually, smoking in any case is stupid and irresponsible … but exposing children to it is many times more stupid).  Bad enough to smoke at home when kids are around, but to inflict it on them in the confined spaces of a car is awful.  Maybe its fair enough to damage your own health, but its not to inflict it on yours and other people’s children (nor for that matter other adults …. which is why I’d personally like to see smoking banned in public places altogether – so essentially the only place to smoke is in your own home, and only then if there are no children there.  I’d also tax smokers out of their bad habits.)

So I’d like to see all the other states in Australia follow Tasmania’s lead on this one.

Apart from the childrens’ health concerns, I’d suggest there are also road safety concerns with smoking while driving.  After all, lighting up, puffing away and ashing the cigarette must be at least equally distracting from driving as using a hand held phone … which is banned.  And that is not to mention all the cigarette butts and litter that filthy pig smokers leave all over the countryside – how often do you see some pig flicking butts out of the car window?  At least if they’re going to poison themselves, they should have the decency to use the inside of the car as their ashtray, and not share it around with everyone else.  (But then smokers are clearly such caring, sharing people and love to share their smoke and rubbish with the world at large!)  Finally you have the dickheads who chuck butts out and start fires … many grass and bush fires are started by careless smokers (actually more than careless, I’d call it criminally stupid.).