Cyprus-Forum.com

[cyprusgeoff]

Last week it was fining people for crossing the road in the wrong place and now its smoking in a car with children on board.

"Police to crack down on smoking with kids in cars
By Marianna Pissa

THE POLICE and the Health Ministry yesterday warned they would start implementing the law fining drivers that smoke in their cars with children under the age of 16 on board.

They were responding to a campaign about children and passive smoking launched yesterday by the Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends (PASYKAF).

The campaign, under the slogan, “Cigarette smoke? Stay away from us!” will run until December. It seeks to mobilise the public to avoid smoking in the house, in the car and more widely in the environment of children.

The chairman of the Association, Dr Anna Achilleoudi, said that “there are no safe limits to exposing children to cigarette smoke. The only effective protection is a 100 per cent smoke free environment.”

The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the harm that passive smoking can cause children, encouraging a change of attitude among smokers to avoid smoking at home, in the car and anywhere around children.

It also wants strict implementation of the law that bans smoking in a vehicle where children under the age of 16 are on board.

Health Minister Christos Patsalides and Traffic Police Commander Demetris Demetriou said yesterday they were committed to the strict application of the law.

“Fighting smoking is one of the priorities of the Health Ministry,” said Patsalides… “People should think of their child’s health, and the Ministry will always support such efforts”

Demetriou said that, “The police, in its effort to support life, has intensified its efforts. In 2006, 325 people were booked for smoking in public places, and in 2007, 1,414. Starting tomorrow we will implement the legislation of fining people that smoke with children in the car.”

Achilleoudi added that “Five in ten children globally, are exposed to passive smoking, eight in ten in Eastern Europe”

According to international figures, 700 million children – almost half the children in the world – breathe air polluted cigarette smoke every day.

The numbers are especially startling in Cyprus, as it has the second highest number of smokers according to population in the European Union.

Of the more than 4,000 chemicals present in cigarette smoke, more than 60 have been identified as carcinogenic.

Second-hand smoke has a marked effect on the health of infants and children. They are more vulnerable than adults because they’re still developing physically and generally have higher breathing rates, which means they may inhale greater quantities of second hand smoke than adults. Also, a child’s organism cannot process the harmful substances so easily, ensuring these chemicals remain in the organism for a longer period"

The police seem to do nothing with the legislation already in place such as continual speeding, jumping traffic lights, the non use of helmets by bikers and the excessive noise from exhausts.

How are they going to find the time to stop cars and ask the childrens ages
and will all drivers have to carry proof like birth certificates?

[Get Real!]

[webbo]

No sleeping at the wheel I hope

Bubbles x

[paliometoxo]

thats a good law, why would you smoke around your children?=/

[Get Real!]

No sleeping at the wheel I hope

Bubbles x

Too much cigar smoke at the wheel, while trying to figure out what the mistress is trying to say on the mobile phone in my other hand tends to nod me off...

Now that should give this thread a little more potential...

[Eliko]

I wonder how many cigarettes one would have to smoke in order to equal the amount of pollution the bombs dropped on Iraq (and elsewhere) in recent times have created.

I doubt very much that the Government agencies are that concerned about the welfare of the peoples of the world, it all sounds very sincere, unfortunately for them we have all witnessed their insincerity of late.

All the same, one must admit that their feigned concerns do create a plausible 'Smoke Screen' for their own actions.

In my humble opinion.

[jas]

I think that its worse to travel around in a car with children standing between the front seats, sitting on peoples laps and never wearing a seat belt.

I have always wondered how someone could get into a car, strap themselves in with their seatbelt and then not bother to put the kids seatbelts on. I mean, if they crash, they will probably be okay but the kids could go straight through the windscreen.

I think thats worse than someone smoking in a car with a child, and no, I don't smoke before anyone asks.

[webbo]

I think that its worse to travel around in a car with children standing between the front seats, sitting on peoples laps and never wearing a seat belt.

I have always wondered how someone could get into a car, strap themselves in with their seatbelt and then not bother to put the kids seatbelts on. I mean, if they crash, they will probably be okay but the kids could go straight through the windscreen.

I think thats worse than someone smoking in a car with a child, and no, I don't smoke before anyone asks.

Hopefully the police looking for the smoker with kids in the car will also notice the kids are not strapped in their seats and will prosecute for this too. Have noticed a huge increase in the number of roadside police in Limassol over the last couple of days and plenty of scooters getting stopped. Have also noticed once stopped some are not being allowed to carry on driving and are having to phone I assume relatives to come and get them.

[Xybadog]

I don't smoke, but I think this law would be drastically wrong in two respects only...and neither to do with the second hand smoke that the kids are inhaling.

Firstly, from the perspective of police time.
The police are already stretched (I can't speak for CyCops (I like that )) but I know this is something they have already looked at implementing in other countries in the world, including many states in the US and in the UK and this is just another inane ruling that would take an officer away from "serious" policing.

Secondly, the perspective of liberty.
How far are we going to have to go in the non-too-distant future to ensure that we keep even our most basic and natural ways of life underground. That is the sad outlook for us all, that we will be given no option in life. All our fundamental choices will be made for us.

This "law" has been bandied about in numerous countries throughout the world including the UK and the US over recent years, and none, as far as I'm aware, have been brave enough to unleash this law on their respective society.

As far as the passive smoking is concerned, yes it could be an issue, but the windows would normally be open for ventilation, from what I've observed, and the majority of journeys are normally local (applicable to all countries), so how long is the kid going to be subjected to the smoke. Many might argue that a second is too long, I wouldn't disagree, but I believe the parents need educating regarding the passive smoking issue and a law such as this ain't going to achieve that. Has the drink-drive law stopped drink-driving? No. And it's not because the police can't/won't enforce it, it's because of the lack of education and the mentallity of those that commit the crime.

[Oracle]

There are dangers to other road users when the driver is engaged in lighting a cigarette or holding the dangerous lit thing, or flicking ash off or whatever ... all sounds more dangerous than using a mobile ... and we all agree people should not use these whilst driving ...

In the UK a woman got done for eating an apple at the wheel of her car ... spotted by cops whilst she was stopped at traffic lights ...

She appealed that it was healthy ....