No

by J. Burnett

Created on: September 13, 2011

A year or so into my driving life, a cigarette butt I had discarded out of the window was returned to me via an inopportune gust of wind, flying back into the car and resting somewhere in the back seat.  I admit to some initial panic, considering I was travelling at 100km/h on a highway. 

Despite my relative inexperience, I still had the common sense to keep my eyes on the road ahead, pulling over when it was safe to do so in order to retrieve and discard the smouldering butt.

This is, of course, a situation that would not have arisen had I not been a smoker - specifically one who smokes while driving.  However, my point is that in such situations, it is always common sense that prevails.  With that in mind, I see little to no common sense in the proposition of fining those who decide to smoke while driving.

Needless to say, that one experience was all it took for me to improve my cigarette discarding procedures - and before anybody raises any other objections, I also take a more environmentally conscious approach.

For those adept at the art form, smoking while driving presents little to no distraction at all to what is unfolding around them - when exercising common sense of course.  A person who decides to light a cigarette while changing lanes - rather than doing this at a red light - is of course being negligent when it comes to their own safety and that of others, but this falls under the already existing law of culpable driving.

I see no distinction between the minimal - if at all existent - distraction of a responsible driver partaking in a cigarette, to that of the distractions presented by unruly children for example.  Should we hand out fines to non-smoking parents who fail to sedate their hyperactive spawn prior to hitting the road?

The fact is, there is a plethora of situations that can lead to potential accidents when on the road, all of which can be avoided by appropriate counter measures.  Misbehaving children, getting behind the wheel in a heightened emotional state, being ambushed by creepy crawlies, the list goes on.  

This all serves to muddy the waters somewhat, but the point is that it is impractical - even discriminatory - to attempt to police such a thing as smoking while driving, when the real heart of the problem is irresponsibility and the absence of common sense.  

A flaw that is obviously not exclusive to smokers when it comes to driving.

We continually attempt to find ways of safe guarding ourselves and our society at large, yet people will always find ways to injure themselves and others.  The onus should always be placed on individual responsibility, simultaneously raising the bar on the expectations for driving awareness, ability and safety.

This can be improved upon through expanded education during driving lessons and higher expectations when it comes to acquiring one's license.  Critically, harsher penalties for those who fail to act with a level of safety and competence while driving - regardless of the distracting cause - should be considered.

Not on a pre-emptive basis when it comes to smoking, something that the majority manage to perform without risking the lives of others.

The minority who endanger themselves and others on the road through erratic and inconsiderate driving - and I'm not just speaking about those who smoke - should never be allowed to jeopardise the individual freedoms of those who hold themselves to a higher standard.

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