Smoking with kids in the car - Illegal now

A_Sober_Paddy · 17-12-2015 04:14PM

Hopefully they ban smoking in public, nothing worse than having to through smoke while trying to enter a shop

PARlance · 17-12-2015 04:35PM

Pherekydes wrote: »

We protect workers with a workplace smoking ban, but not children. Until now.

Good job!

Smoking in the presence of children should be illegal at all times.

Those who smoke with kids in their car are likely to smoke in their home. To say that kids are now protected from 2nd hand smoke is a bit ott.

Kev W · 17-12-2015 04:37PM

PARlance wrote: »

Those who smoke with kids in their car are likely to smoke in their home. To say that kids are now protected from 2nd hand smoke is a bit ott.

It's the best that can be done without banning smoking in the home, which would be a serious overreach, obviously.

Idbatterim · 17-12-2015 04:48PM

It's the best that can be done without banning smoking in the home, which would be a serious overreach, obviously.

I'm not sure I would call it an overreach, but it wont happen. The car is a practical place to try and stop it, around children...

PARlance · 17-12-2015 04:58PM

Kev W wrote: »

It's the best that can be done without banning smoking in the home, which would be a serious overreach, obviously.

Why would it be a serious overreach?
While it may not be practical to actively police it, it would certainly send out a strong message to both parents and more importantly kids.

It obviously couldn't be policed actively, but an avenue of reporting could be established.

Kev W · 17-12-2015 04:59PM

PARlance wrote: »

Why would it be a serious overreach?
While it may not be practical to actively police it, it would certainly send out a strong message to both parents and more importantly kids.

It obviously couldn't be policed actively, but an avenue of reporting could be established.

Telling people what they can do with their bodies is an overreach.

dr.fuzzenstein · 17-12-2015 05:14PM

osarusan wrote: »

I hope it gets enforced as much as possible.

Few things piss me off as much as adults smoking in a car with the kids in the back.

I think you are being optimistic.
This will be put on top of a huge pile of stuff the Gardai are meant to enforce but don't bother their hole.
Yellow boxes, outside lane hogging, muppets driving everywhere at 60 km/h, red lights (no more than 5-6 cars after red!), roundabout morons, buslane queue skippers to name but a few.
Gards used to stand there with a hairdryer every now and then and other than that do the odd checkpoint (tax, insurance, graaand) and since the advent of the flash4cash van have almost completely packed in the hairdryer bit.
The legislation has already been described as "mostly educational", meaning that even the people who got this made into law know full well the Gardai won't bother their hole with it and there may be 2-3 people done for it a year to show they are doing "something".
I am not against this law, except for the fact that it should be common sense and if you are going to have a law, a bit of enforcement would be nice.

PARlance · 17-12-2015 05:17PM

Kev W wrote: »

Telling people what they can do with their bodies is an overreach.

There are many things that we can't do with our bodies.

Apart from the means of policing of it, what's the difference between telling someone that they can't smoke in their car vs their house.

dr.fuzzenstein · 17-12-2015 05:18PM

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

Hopefully they ban smoking in public, nothing worse than having to through smoke while trying to enter a shop

It's statements like that that make me want to take up smoking again. Thank God I did not turn into one of those miserable, sanctimonious, militant anti smokers after I quit. Knowing that the very fact I smoke annoys people like that is almost worth the cancer.

Wibbs · 17-12-2015 05:26PM

PARlance wrote: »

an avenue of reporting could be established.

Jesus I shuddered a little reading that. This is where totalitarian states get their willing helpers.

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Thank God I did not turn into one of those miserable, sanctimonious, militant anti smokers after I quit. Knowing that the very fact I smoke annoys people like that is almost worth the cancer.

The world is filling up with beige sanctimonious delicate flower killjoys. We need to put down traps. I dunno how these buggers are reproducing. It would likely be asexual mind you. Budding or somesuch.

PARlance · 17-12-2015 05:50PM

Wibbs wrote: »

Jesus I shuddered a little reading that. This is where totalitarian states get their willing helpers.

I'm trying to tease out why people think it's ok to ban smoking in a car but think banning it in the home is a step too far. Both are private areas and the only difference is in policing. If they really wanted to tackle the issue then they would and could have included the home.

Personally, I think people should be left to their devices but that's beside the point.

dslamjack · 17-12-2015 06:01PM

My auld gran smoked bob marleys n played smoke on water and all along the watch tower droppin us to schoool,no wonder the brothers beat us silly, coul't hear them and were in a smoke inducered coma, dem were the days

mcmoustache · 17-12-2015 06:02PM

PARlance wrote: »

I'm trying to tease out why people think it's ok to ban smoking in a car but think banning it in the home is a step too far. Both are private areas and the only difference is in policing. If they really wanted to tackle the issue then they would and could have included the home.

Nope. The home has certain constitutional protections while there is no expectation of privacy driving your car in a public place.

Varik · 17-12-2015 06:07PM

mcmoustache wrote: »

Nope. The home has certain constitutional protections while there is no expectation of privacy driving your car in a public place.

If they were going to ban people from smoking in their homes at that point they may as well just ban them outright.

dslamjack · 17-12-2015 06:09PM

errr - does this ban cover electronic highs,I mean e smokes?

haveringchick · 17-12-2015 06:11PM

My pathologically selfish sister in law smoked all over my spineless brother and my poor little nephew for 18 years both in the home and in the car. In fact she continues to do so
And she's a former nurse and she knew bloody well the cow
I'm so sorry now I didn't say something but it wouldn't have made any difference
I didn't want to start a family row

SEPT 23 1989 · 17-12-2015 06:13PM

no room for curtain twitching state informers for this one

guards have to catch someone in the act of slowly poisoning their children

PARlance · 17-12-2015 06:14PM

mcmoustache wrote: »

Nope. The home has certain constitutional protections while there is no expectation of privacy driving your car in a public place.

Are they not saying that this is a child welfare issue? Should that no override any constitutional right to privacy in the home? As is the case with other child welfare issues.

Rubberchikken · 17-12-2015 06:15PM

smoking is absolutely disgusting anyway. imho

bad enough that smokers damage their own health. even worse when they inflict it and their disgusting litter on everyone so no harm if they are fined.
just up to the gardai now. *sigh*

mcmoustache · 17-12-2015 06:46PM

PARlance wrote: »

Are they not saying that this is a child welfare issue? Should that no override any constitutional right to privacy in the home? As is the case with other child welfare issues.

They are saying that this is a child welfare issue and I'd agree with that.

However, just because someone can shout "Won't somebody think of the children", it doesn't mean that you can just violate constitutional protections. Legislation is struck down all the time if it is challenged and found to be unconstitutional.

Which "other child welfare issues" are you aware of that supersede constitutional protections?

The legal system is more complex than simply "Do whatever because children".

dslamjack · 17-12-2015 06:54PM

My pathologically selfish sister in law smoked all over my spineless brother and my poor little nephew for 18 years both in the home and in the car. In fact she continues to do so
And she's a former nurse and she knew bloody well the cow
I'm so sorry now I didn't say something but it wouldn't have made any difference
I didn't want to start a family row

Haveringchick ,all sisters (in laws included)are pathologically selfish,especially if they are called Sharon,like in Finchies letter,If I were you,I'd wait till chrismas day to start the row, wait till ye've started on the whiskey after your 10th pint and you've just lit the biggest cigar ye could find,think of it as a belated chrissy present to yere self, do it just before ye pop across to the neighbours,it'll be great and ye'll be rightly chuffed in the new year and ye might get away with her not speaking to ye for the year(that would be too much to hope for)ahh well have a good un

haveringchick · 17-12-2015 06:58PM

dslamjack wrote: »

Haveringchick ,all sisters (in laws included)are pathologically selfish,especially if they are called Sharon,like in Finchies letter,If I were you,I'd wait till chrismas day to start the row, wait till ye've started on the whiskey after your 10th pint and you've just lit the biggest cigar ye could find,think of it as a belated chrissy present to yere self, do it just before ye pop across to the neighbours,it'll be great and ye'll be rightly chuffed in the new year and ye might get away with her not speaking to ye for the year(that would be too much to hope for)ahh well have a good un

I was thinking of just emptying the full bowl of sherry trifle down the front of her Next outfit?

dslamjack · 17-12-2015 07:13PM

Naa terrible waste of Sherry,offer the auld witch a glass(gallon sized) of red wine(mostly beetroot juice) as a christmas drink,just before ye accidentally fall all over her and stain her from head to foot,then escort her to her broom stick and swiftly show her and your spineless brother the front door,pour a large vodka, kick the cat ,put the feet up hey presto job done.I love family christmas's

Summer wind · 17-12-2015 07:14PM

Delighted to hear this law has been brought in. Nothing more disgusting than seeing children being forced to inhale lungfuls of smoke. Makes me laugh to see parents standing outside a car smoking then they pick up an infant and breathe smokers breath into its little face. Their clothes and hair stink too so when they are holding their child the child has to smell that too.

PARlance · 17-12-2015 07:30PM

mcmoustache wrote: »

They are saying that this is a child welfare issue and I'd agree with that.

Legislation is struck down all the time if it is challenged and found to be unconstitutional.

Which "other child welfare issues" are you aware of that supersede constitutional protections?

I'm really not sure what your talking about when your referring to child welfare superseding constitutional protections?
Child welfare is at the heart of the constitution, the role of parental autonomy and state intervention can be unclear at times but child welfare is part of, and wouldn't supersede, the constitution.

Here's an example for you though:
Parent batters child in public, will have to deal with the law.
Parent batters child in the privacy of their own home, will still have to deal with the law.

This smoking ban in cars is a cop out. It's saying you cannot harm your child while driving your car but it's ok to do so in your home.

siblers · 17-12-2015 07:33PM

But how can you regulate it in someone's house? Plus a lot of parents who smoke at home, smoke outside or smoke in a room where the kids won't be. Bit of a different story in a small, confined car.

KungPao · 17-12-2015 07:35PM

What about the wans smoking outside the rotunda about to drop a sprog? How is that not illegal yet?

CarrickMcJoe · 17-12-2015 07:40PM

Graces7 wrote: »

Reminds me of a proud young mother I met once. She boasted how she had given up smoking all the time she was pregnant, then lit up and told me she was breastfeeding...knew it was wrong

Or the time the proud young parents told me to let them know when I would be applying the water-based odourless stain on their new door so they would take baby to granny's.
Walked into kitchen where they were both smoking over the child in the portable car seat.

dr.fuzzenstein · 17-12-2015 08:17PM

Varik wrote: »

If they were going to ban people from smoking in their homes at that point they may as well just ban them outright.

Along with minimum pricing on alcohol, illegal fags would be an entire centuries worth of Christmases come true for organised crime. Imagine millions of fags and oceans of booze brought in and sold illegally, the state losing out on millions of euros in tax take whilst facing massively increased costs for the army, navy, gardai and customs, not to mention increased costs in healthcare since people will still drink and smoke, just illegally so. And quite frankly, I would help.

PARlance · 17-12-2015 08:23PM

siblers wrote: »

But how can you regulate it in someone's house? Plus a lot of parents who smoke at home, smoke outside or smoke in a room where the kids won't be. Bit of a different story in a small, confined car.

Very difficult to do so, but also very difficult to police physical abuse in the home. That doesn't mean it can't / shouldn't be illegal though. If they're really serious about this then they would do that. If nothing else it's a strong message to parents and possibly more importantly their kids.

I don't think parents that smoke in a car with their kids are the type that live in smoke free houses.

Smoking with kids in the car - Illegal now

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