Children at risk from passive smoking in cars

Dubai/Fujairah: The latest debate is not the harmful effects of smoking, but ironically, whether smoking in cars is legitimate or not.

For those who consider it legitimate, cars are a private and not a public place, while for those who argue otherwise, the action exposes children to passive smoke.

Accord to recent reports, UAE tobacco laws have been delayed and are unlikely to be passed this year, which is two years after the initial intended deadline.

Although cars are considered by most as a private place, the draft law also addresses protection of minors against second-hand smoke.

In a recent Gulf News poll, 58 per cent of respondents said that smoking should be banned in cars, 24 per cent disagreed, and 18 per cent said the question was irrelevant because they do not smoke.

City Talk took to the streets and asked residents if smoking in cars should be banned in order to protect children from second hand smoke and if smoking should also be banned in all places where children may be, such as parks.

"If there are children in the car then smoking should not be allowed inside," JR Bautista, a hairdresser from the Philippines, 30, said. "But I think that it is okay to smoke in public places if it is outdoors, and smoking should only be banned indoors."

Ahmad Ala'a, an Egyptian accountant, 25, said: "Of course. Children should be protected from second hand smoke and if the only way for parents to take care of their children is by banning smoking in the cars, then so be it. It is a bad habit that should be stopped, and this should apply to all the places where there are children."

Shamiya Nasseem, a pharmacist from India, 29, said: "The percentage of inhaled smoke will be reduced among children by at least 40 per cent, because cars provide a very confined space. It is also harmful for the parents when they smoke inside their cars, so banning it will improve everybody's health. For the sake of our children's future, smoking should be banned everywhere."

Khalil Rahman, a company executive from India, 44, said: "Smoking near children should definitely be banned because they are so vulnerable and their bodies are still growing and could easily be affected by second hand smoking. Children do not have the choice in such matters so it is up to us to take care of them and the adults who do otherwise should be forced to. Now there are so many places where one can't smoke such as offices where only adults attend, so it's only right that places where children are found should also be made non-smoking."

Ahmad Mohammad Salama, an Egyptian civil engineer, 30, said: "Anyone with children should stop smoking, full-stop, because it cannot be in the best interest of the child in the short or long-term. If people are not responsible enough to do what's in the best interest of their children then, yes, the law should step-in to protect them, because children are voiceless and defenceless in these situations."