merv
27th May 2004, 08:28
Reported on the Stuff website today:
Cigarettes leading cause of driver distraction
27 May 2004
Forget cellphones, applying lipstick or drinking coffee at the wheel - smoking is the leading driver distraction causing car accidents, says an anti-smoking lobby group.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) director Trish Fraser said people should stop smoking in their cars.
"Smoking in your car poses a hazard to not only yourself, but also your passengers and other people on the road. If you must, have a cigarette before you get into your car, but don't smoke and drive," she said in a statement.
According to ASH, last year 226 drivers were handling cigarettes when they had an accident, compared with 51 drivers who were using mobile phones.
Smoking in cars was not only distracting, but harmful to health, Ms Fraser said.
"Second hand smoke is a toxic substance and is capable of causing numerous illnesses and even death and this threat is increased in the confines of a car."
But the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) has stopped short of backing a ban on smoking in cars .
LTSA spokesman Andrew Knackstedt said it should be kept to a minimum: "As with anything, eating, drinking or whatever - you are there to drive and your concentration should be on the road."
Smokefree cars and homes is the theme of next Monday's World Smokefree Day, Ms Fraser said.
The campaign would push home the message that smoking inside also threatened the health of children and pets.
ASH says second-hand smoke is the leading environmental cause of preventable death in New Zealand, killing around 350 people annually.
Non-smokers who lived with smokers had a 15 per cent higher mortality rate than those in a smokefree household.
Cigarettes leading cause of driver distraction
27 May 2004
Forget cellphones, applying lipstick or drinking coffee at the wheel - smoking is the leading driver distraction causing car accidents, says an anti-smoking lobby group.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) director Trish Fraser said people should stop smoking in their cars.
"Smoking in your car poses a hazard to not only yourself, but also your passengers and other people on the road. If you must, have a cigarette before you get into your car, but don't smoke and drive," she said in a statement.
According to ASH, last year 226 drivers were handling cigarettes when they had an accident, compared with 51 drivers who were using mobile phones.
Smoking in cars was not only distracting, but harmful to health, Ms Fraser said.
"Second hand smoke is a toxic substance and is capable of causing numerous illnesses and even death and this threat is increased in the confines of a car."
But the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) has stopped short of backing a ban on smoking in cars .
LTSA spokesman Andrew Knackstedt said it should be kept to a minimum: "As with anything, eating, drinking or whatever - you are there to drive and your concentration should be on the road."
Smokefree cars and homes is the theme of next Monday's World Smokefree Day, Ms Fraser said.
The campaign would push home the message that smoking inside also threatened the health of children and pets.
ASH says second-hand smoke is the leading environmental cause of preventable death in New Zealand, killing around 350 people annually.
Non-smokers who lived with smokers had a 15 per cent higher mortality rate than those in a smokefree household.