Dubai: Traffic officials have called on residents to stop smoking while driving.
“Smoking acts as a physical distraction while driving, as the driver removes his hands from the steering wheel. It affects concentration levels and by making your reflexes slower, it affects your driving skills,” warned Ahmad Hashem Behroozian, chief executive officer of the Roads and Transport Authority’s Licencing Agency.
Smoking with friends and family in the car is also irresponsible as you are exposing them to health risks, he said.
There are also chances of smokers loosing calm and focus while driving, especially when caught in traffic jams, as they may get irritated or depressed quickly due to an intense craving for nicotine at that moment, he noted.
Throwing burning cigarette butts out of moving vehicles is another matter of concern. These could injure someone, besides causing environmental harm, said Behroozian.
Nevertheless, the habit of smoking while driving is not easy to give up.
‘Trigger the brain’
“If you have been smoking in your car for years, every time you sit in your car you will crave for a cigarette. The smell of the car, the feel of the seats against your body, the sounds of the engine starting and seatbelt clicking — all of these trigger your brain to crave a cigarette,” a traffic safety awareness official at RTA said.
Triggers are associations that your brain makes between smoking and things in your environment. These links in your mind are reinforced every time you smoke a cigarette in the presence of the trigger object, environment, or person.
“Some people put a cigarette in their mouth without even thinking about it after they start the car and buckle up their seatbelt.”
The stress of traffic adds to the urge to smoke in the car. Often, a cigarette seems to relieve some of the frustrations of being stuck in traffic, said the official. He suggested trying candy or chewing gum to avoid smoking while driving. RTA also suggests removing ashtrays and cigarettes from the car.
