There has been a lot of talk about it in recent years but the government have now stated that it will be a criminal offence to smoke in cars when children are present as passengers. It’s a step in the right direction, you may have seen the countless adverts on TV about smoking next to children with majority of second hand smoke not being visible to the eye, and this is just another statement from the MPs as they have voted in favour of an amendment to the Children and Families Bill in which it gives ministers the power to completely ban smoking when carrying children, it’s also expected that Wales will follow suite in the ban.
There are people that are obviously going to be annoyed at this but they don’t really have a leg to stand on, the health risks associated with smoking inside cars is high with it being somewhat of an enclosed area, researches have said that smoke can stay in the air for up to two and a half hours even if you open the windows further increasing the chance of cancer, infections, asthma and ear problems. This change has pleased many including the Shadow Public Health Minister Luciana Berger who referred to it as a “great victory”.
Just like predicted, the amendment has upset some people such as Simon Clark who is the director of smokers lobby group Forest, his belief is that the government should not be able to rule how people behave in Private. However when it comes to child safety how can you argue against the change?
There still could be a U Turn but it looks very unlikely, and sooner rather than later smoking will become illegal whilst being in cars with children. Another step in the right direction for anti-smoking campaigners.
The first of the new generation of the Fiat 500 was a very small and slow little town car, the car featured iconic “suicide doors” which opened outward in a strange fashion. It was a perfect car for getting around the small cities in Italy with the tight roads. Not the best car but certainly met its purpose.