Smokers feel the heat with possible ban on smoking in car

Smoking is not allowed in most public places, near to some public places, and since last week smoking is not allowed in the car in the presence of children under the age of 12.

But when confronted with the possible total ban on smoking in the car, most smokers react with astonishment.

"It is MY car!" says Sam Ibrahim (37), an American-Egyptian who lights several cigarettes during his daily commute to work. "I can see why we cannot smoke in public places, that rule makes sense to me. But in my car I am polluting my own air space.

What is next? Not smoking in your house? Where do we draw the line?"

A similar reaction came from the Syrian ZK, who owns a car and smokes. "This is my property, and my privacy. Nobody has the right to tell me what I can or cannot do in my own property."

Under a new anti-smoking federal law in the UAE, smoking in the car in the presence of children under the age of 12 has been banned. In addition, motorists caught tossing their lit cigarette butts will be penalised with a Dh500 fine and four black points.

The total ban on smoking inside the car is only a matter of time, as it is the next step in the implementation of the new anti-smoking law, expected to come to realisation early next year.

In a poll conducted among Emirates 24|7 readers, half of the respondents admitted to smoking in the car. Asked to indicate when they smoke in the car, 39% answered when they are alone in their car, while 8% said to smoke in the car while adult friends and family are around and 3% admitted to smoking around children.

The other half of the respondents answered to be smoking, but never in the car.

"I am mostly alone in my car when I smoke. But if I have a friend in the car I always ask if it is okay when I smoke. If it is not, then I don't," said Sam.

"I think it depends on the friendship between two people," commented Sheliosa Marbaniang, a non-smoker. "I do not mind to get into a car with a smoker. But I do think such a move is a good idea. In this way the options are getting less and people might just as well quit smoking."

The UAE would be the first country in the world to apply a total ban on smoking in the car, as no such law currently exist in any country.

The tightest rules regarding smoking and driving is applied in Mauritius, where smoking in the car with any passengers is banned. In Taiwan a law is under revision to ban smoking while driving a car, riding a bike or walking an a sidewalk.

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