So he should have a serious think before taking that step!

Ban people from smoking in cars with children present is likely to end up killing more people, including the children!

A smoker finds that smoking whilst driving aids concentration and reduces stress, of which there is plenty on today's roads. Children in cars can be the MOST distracting and stressful thing there is. If the driver feels the need for a smoke and either doesn't light up because of the law or does and tries to be covert about it, he/she is more likely to have an accident. This could not only be far more harmful to his/her children but to other roadusers, including other children.

Drivers rarely smoke in cars without the window being open and the smoke is drawn out of the window anyway. Not only that, there is no proper or conclusive scientific evidence that SHS causes any harm whatsoever. If it did then the generation that is now living longer than any other generation should all have died a long, long time ago, probably in their prime, if they got that far!

Finally, before anyone says it - stopping and getting out for a smoke is good, but it is not the same as actually having a smoke whilst driving, especially when the kids are kicking off in the back!

Government need to BACK OFF and STOP running our lives, particularly in such minute detail - that is not what they are there to do. It seems to me that whilst they have been so busy working out ways of nannying us the country has gone to hell in a handbasket! They should get back to the job they were elected to do - RUN THE COUNTRY - NOT OUR LIVES!!! If they did this we might just have a country left to rebuild! Currently it is most definitely NOT a country I am proud of nor proud to be associated with!

The Greeks, French and Dutch, to name a few, have certainly had the right ideas and it is about time we stopped being total whimps and took a very large leaf from their books.

Only an idiot would try and smoke while driving a car, and only a complete moron anywhere near children. Mind you, smokers are pig-ignorant , selfish scum, and judging by the reply above, incredibly stupid.

How out of touch Mr Cameron is when he states the smoking ban has not harmed pubs, the pub companies who own most of the wet pubs in the Uk have devalued 15 times (Example £15.00 to £1.00) Punch, Admiral,Enterprise who owned abought 20,000 at the start of the ban.
Second hand smoke has never been proved to be significantly harmful, check out the epedemilogical studies and you will find the truth, this is why the ban was brought in under the Health act 2006 (as no proof was needed of harm), and not brought in under the Health and Safety Executive under the health and safety at work act, as the HSE need proof and there is not any (see HSE OC255/15 article 9 covered up but can be googled or available under F.O.I)
In the North of England there is now more pubs shut than open since the ban, the suffering this has caused is immense, to publicans and their staff, never mind the apertheid it has created and social exclusion for millions of people.
Now people from well funded lobby groups such as ASH etc wish to perpetuate this to ban people smoking in cars , if people really are worried about childrens health to insignificant proportions they should not take children in their cars as road traffic fumes in conjested traffic are far worse than SHS,

only a non smoking self righteous muppet would say its idiotic to smoke while driving, can i ask how you come to this conclusion colin? does being a non smoker make you a better person? NO it doesnt you just think like the rest of the categorised self righteous muppet non smokers (not all non smokers i might add) it does.

Personally i think once the band of S.R.M non smokers have finished and made smoking illegal they will be crying like babies when they are hammered with various tax hikes because the government have lost a massive chunk of tax from us, gotta come from somewhere........right?????

rant over

Absolutely right, Jay. I wish someone somewhere would calculate the loss of revenue if smoking were made illegal and then suggest some ways in which it could be compensated. The tobacco Nazis would get right back in their boxes.

I simply can't believe that the BMA has even suggested that people not be allowed to smoke on their own property while alone. The smoking in public places arguement was all about protecting people from passive smoking, who is affected by my smoking while I'm in my car by myself?

I don't need protecting from myself, thank you very much, Colin.

I am more than a little tired of ever increasing legislation changing my way of life. I can't enjoy a cigarette and a pint, after a long week of tax paid work. That is, I can't enjoy the two legal and highly taxed activities at the same time. At my local of twenty five years patronage it was smoke outside, on the street. No drinks allowed outside. So it's outside for tax paid lung cancer, inside for tax paid throat and liver cancer. I no longer go there. Now It seems that before long, my highly tax paid car will no longer be a haven, where I can choose to enjoy a cigarette.
I cannot understand why these laws are concocted and rigidly and severely enforced, with a grim determination which is beyond belief. Yet our streets are absolutely awash with heroin and its users and dealers, along with the associated acquisitive crime and misery piled on the innocent.
Is it not time that the millionaire boys club, in charge of this 'democracy' in which we live, came out of their security guarded gated communities and had a little look at reality?

agreed buck, i think a good way to compare it is...............imagine a pub that has two separate bars closed off from each other, the bar through the left hand door is a bar where smokers are welcome to come and enjoy a pint and smoke at their leisure. now back to the entrance and through the right hand door is a non smokers bar, hmmmmmmmmmmm................i wonder which one makes the most money????

at the end of the day a proper pub has 1 prevailing memory for me, the smell of stale smoke and stale ale............ heres to the great british pub as it should be :)

It is plain the BMA wish to totally ban smoking. However, we all know that the government enjoy a HUGE tax payment from every pouch of tobacco or packet of ciggies, so I think the government will have no problem in opposing a total ban. After all, everything else we eat/drink/wear etc is taxed to high heaven, and we all know the government needs revenue, so totally banning smoking would result in a dramatic loss of revenue for them.
Now to the proposal to ban smoking in cars. I have grandchildren, and NEVER smoke in the car while they are in it. Would never do it. We no longer smoke in our home as grandchildren are often there. We do that because we are adult enough to know the dmamge that smoking can do. We do not smoke in our own home because of legislation.
If my husband and I wish to smoke in our own cars whats the harm in that? We have been smoking for many years now and we are both aware of the health risks. Surely if we choose to smoke in the car and we know the risks, then we as adults enjoying full mental cognicense (sp) are able to make that choice?
Its time to STOP this nanny state. Im totally fed up with being told this is bad for you, thats bad for you, east this, dont eat that one week, then things are reversed the next. Let us make up our own minds for goodness sake , and stop this madness!!!!
Many smokers still smoke because addiction, some because they enjoy it. We pay very highly for tobacco, and I remember when the government started putting up the price of it, we were told that this money would be paid to the NHS to help deal with smoking related conditions. What happened to that money??
Rant over ( I think)

The nerve of these people. anyone who has really looked into it, knows that passive smoking is really just a cover for all the air pollution from road traffic and industry.
I could just about stomach a ban in cars where children are present-just about, but thats the red line-there and no further.
Hey colin--maybe so mate, maybe so, but we're "Pig ignorant, selfish scum" who are subsidising your families NHS treatment!! How much more per litre, are you prepared to spend to run your car buddy? Because I guarantee that is exactly where the government would go to make up the 9 billion pounds in revenue they take from tobacco. You sound really stressed Colin--have you considered smoking?? Nothing better than a ciggy to take away that suppressed rage.

I would like to defend colin as far as he is entitled to his opinion, however, to categorise a group based on whatever experiences he may have had is wrong.
I've met plenty of non-smokers who are arrogant, self righteous and opinionated, this does not mean the ALL non-smokers are.
My wife is a non-smoker.
I've also met plenty of smokers who are totally inconsiderate of what they do, where they do it and who might be affected.
I've not smoked in my house since my kids were born.
But to call any particular group "pig-ignorant , selfish scum, and judging by the reply above, incredibly stupid" based on a personal bias says more about the author than his target. I can assure you, out of bitter experience, there are far more deserving of the title 'scum'.

Back to the topic, reading the plans for smokers is like watching the south coast, little by little it is getting eroded away. If smoking really is so terrible then why not ban it totally, after all class A drugs are banned?
2 reasons:
- the number of addicts. Be it addicts that just can't stop or addicts that don't want to stop, would put so much pressure on the health service that it could not cope. Because if they did ban it morality, they would be obliged to help people come off cigarettes.
- the amount of revenue. All the while smoking is allowed in some places, smokers will smoke and therefore buy, thus paying tax. For the year 2010-11 smoking is estimated to raise £11.1B (http://www.the-tma.org.uk/tma-publications-research/facts-figures/tax-revenue-from-tobacco/), the last source of costs to the NHS was in 2009 where the estimate was £5.17B (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/smoking-costs-nhs-pound5bn-a-year-1700509.html) in that year the tax revenue was £10B. Even taking into consideration the 'estimated' £2B loss to businesses, that is still a surplus of £3B. Details on what smoking costs the rest of society are not easily found, but I've not read reports of fights breaking out because of binge smoking or people being arrested for being over the legal nicotine limit while driving.

An IAS study (http://www.ias.org.uk/resources/factsheets/economic_costs_benefits.pdf) showed that in 2007-08 alcohol raised £8B in tax, however it also showed that the social cost of alcohol in 2004 totalled over £15B. It should be noted that in this total the cost to the NHS was £1.7B pounds, in the next paragraph the cost for 2007-08 were £2.7B.
Being tea-total, it would not bother me one bit if alcohol was hammered with tax, but on the other side of the coin I truly believe if we want to live in a community we should all provide as we never know when we are going to need to take out.

My car is my private property, if they can ban it there, there is nothing stopping them banning it in other private property of mine. Once this precedence has been set, there will be nothing stopping them ruling on any and every tiny piece of our private lives.
1984 anyone?

I think this country is fast becoming a nanny state and telling people that they cannot smoke in their own cars is totally out of order. As for you Colin if you are a non-smoker and feel that us smokers are pig-ignorant and idiots, then tell me why you are on a pro-smokers website? Sounds like you may be the idiot as you are just making yourself look like a complete prat, and Darren I agree with you, we do as smokers pay a massive amount in taxes that pay for non-smokers and smokers alike. It's my choice to smoke and will not be told by a bunch of ex-smokers and do-gooders where I can smoke on my own property, just because they are secretly wanting a ciggy.
My granddad spent 5 years in Egypt during the WW2 and even had to miss his own fathers funeral so we could be a free country. What was the point as it's not looking that way anymore

Why not just wrap us all up in cotton wool for our own safety from ourselves?

I will continue to smoke in my home and my car,even if this makes me a criminal just because some idiotic non-smoker can't stand to see me smoke behind the wheel,or in the warm comfort of a car or my home rather than outside like an animal in the winter!

I pay more than my share of taxes,hell we all do,the least I deserve is a smoke on the way to or from my work,I haven't killed anyone yet and if someone doesn't like the smoke then they won't get in the car(hasn't happened yet,even with several non-smokers!!!)

I don't drink,don't start fights,etc..etc.. my only vice is I enjoy smoking,I like to think I do a good job of looking after my daughters who I do try not to smoke in front of,but if I'm in the car,the window is always down,and the smoke ALWAYS goes STRAIGHT OUT THE WINDOW!!!!

What harm are we doing?
Why are we being harassed yet again?
Wasn't closing down lots of pubs/clubs,and making thousands unemployed enough?
These anti-smoking groups are costing the country way more than us smokers do if you look at that loss of revenue directly related to smoking bans.

To consider banning smoking in cars whilst driving or not is an absurd violation of my right to live my life the way I choose. Sorry Mr Cameron, but you do need to stay well away from this one. This is one voter who will oppose any party with any such move in it's manifesto and would rather "do time" where there are lots of worse drugs available in plenty, than comply with this outrage to my personal freedom.

Goebbels said it: "Repeat a lie often enough and people will believe it". Thus it is with all propaganda. There are lies, damned lies and the BMA. Alex Ciunningham above says the majority of people support a ban. Of course they do! It would not affect the non-smokers in the slightest.

I enjoy smoking. I do not smoke in my car if others are present. I always open a window if smoking. The nagging of the busybodies simply makes me more determined to continue my pleasant activity.

It is no good bleating on a website like this because all the contributors are of one mind (except for Colin that is). We need a leader to take this message out there and to challenge the lies put out by the propagandists and to take the message to the BMA TO GET OFF OUR BACKS or publish real scientific evidence supporting their claims. Maybe someone could organise a protest on the steps of St Pauls?

Reply to Colin. See there you go............ordinary pillocks like you can condemn 12 million of the population with such sneering arrogance it leaves me speechless, save to say that discrimination is discrimination IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM you idiot. GB is a country proud to welcome people of all nationalities, creeds, colour, background, gender and we do a great job in ensuring people are educated in a non-discriminatory fashion. No one would DREAM or DARE speak as you have about ANY OTHER section of our society. How pig-ignorant you are, and how courageous!!! Of course we seem to have bred a new "nice class" of society who feel they can speak with such lip-curling comtempt to a massive proportion of Britain. I am sure Colin, that YOU probably have a bad habit or two - possibly of the kind you can't actually "see"??? I smoke, I am NOT an apologist smoker (hiding behind buildings so as not to be seen). It is my RIGHT, my CHOICE. Anyway, I dont want to waste any more time on idiots like you Colin, suffice to say that imagine if 12 MILLION people - who buy just ONE pack of cigarettes a day give up. They average £6 per packet of which its pennies to produce. Bet you'd wish you'd kept your mouth shut then wouldnt you? Just think about it, the country would lose up to £72 MILLIONS of pounds PER DAY. Per Day. All you vehement anti's would then be utterly bolloxed methinks.

YMMD with that anwesr! TX

Probably to late for this item, but just found it while researching general subject in U.S.A. This, of course, is where it all started. Based on a fraudulent missive promulgated by the OSHA (occupational Safety and Health Administration). The U.S., throwing its weight around as usual, first banned smoking on U.S. carriers. Then it banned smoking on all flights originating or ending in the U.S., regardless of the carrier. I could not believe it when that stuck. Previous to that, I had always flown to England on BA, simply because I could smoke on those flights.
I have always adhered to the principle of "foller the dollar". In this case I can't, for the life of me, get where the percentage is. Any suggestions out there?