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I listened very carefully as the debate over smoking in cars with children onboard rolled on. As someone whose father smoked like a chimney in his car whilst my brother, sister and I breathed in the disgusting smoke, when we were very young, I know how uncomfortable it can be.

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It was bad enough in the house but in the confined space of a Morris 8 it was very uncomfortable and very selfish although I accept that at the time he didn’t know the potential harm he was doing. Fast forward to the 21^st century and the fact that cigarette packs tell you that smoking kills I find it hard to come up with an argument for not banning smoking in cars that are carrying children.

It is already illegal for drivers of company vehicles to smoke in their cars, vans and trucks so I couldn’t understand the ‘impossible to police’ argument as there are already legally enforceable laws banning smoking. If laws were only introduced if they were easy to enforce we would have very few laws on the statute book so like most people I agree with the ban and that we shouldn’t simply rely upon the responsibility of parents.

Lets face it if parents were responsible we wouldn’t be considering the new law in the first place to protect children, it would be unnecessary. It is illegal to batter kids even in the parent’s own home but virtually impossible to enforce, unless a child is taken to hospital and the police alerted so the ‘unenforceable’ argument doesn’t wash as a reason not to pass the law.

If parents light up in the car their babies and children can’t simply scramble out of their childseat or babyseat, climb out of the car and continue their journey on foot (or crawling) to avoid the smoke that they don’t know is harming them in the first place. So it now looks like the law will have grudging approval but how serious are those that say they are in favour?

On the 4^th October last year, in an old blog posting, I revealed that a Canadian company had developed an App that allowed anyone with a smartphone to photograph cars that are illegally parked which would be date and time stamped, located by GPS and with the use of plate recognition, the driver of the car identified.

This information would be forwarded to the local authority for a ticket to be issued, using the information captured by the app to convict the miscreant. Once convicted the person providing the information will receive part of the fine imposed. This apparently works in Canada whilst in the US there is a similar app used to convict anyone parking in a disabled parking space.

But could and should it be extended to cover other crimes such as driving without a seatbelt fastened, using a mobile phone or smoking in a car with children onboard? I’m sure that there are passionate people out there that would provide the evidence through a purpose created app for no fee. So if enforcement is the problem is this the direction we should be moving in? I would welcome your thoughts – without the expletives! By Graham Hill

Related articles

• Ban smoking in cars carrying children: Labour forces vote on new law to fine offenders £60 (dailymail.co.uk)

Last year Direct Line carried out a survey into car vandalism and found it to be at epidemic levels. They found that most people (64%) that had their car vandalised knew the person who vandalised their car. They questioned offenders as well as victims and found an ex boyfriend or girlfriend to be the top target.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

This was followed by a current or ex boss and even the ex’s new partner! Next door neighbours or people living in the same road were also offenders. So much for the assumption that all vandalism was caused by testosterone charged young males high on Special Brew and crack cocaine! So what was the type of damage caused I hear you ask?

In top place is keyed or scratched paint, followed by damage to door mirrors then smashed windows. In fourth place is radio aerials snapped off then snapped windscreen wipers. Tyre slashing is in 6^th place, stolen badge next and in 8^th place smashed lights, in 9^th dents from Car Surfing (whatever that is) with graffiti or paint on car at 10^th. So there you have it, if you are going to fall out with any of the above make sure you lock your car away! By Graham Hill

Noticed a bit more of a jam on the way into work in the morning or maybe a little more difficulty parking in the local car park at the weekend? Probably not as the UK car parc (the number of cars on our roads) has reduced a little over the past couple of years as we have been hit by recession but the reason I mention it is that the number of cars on the Read more »

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As I write this item we’re into the first day of the new registration and the first day of autumn, not that you’d notice after a terrible summer. But already I am reading about impending pot hole problems this winter, set to get worse after a Highways Agency rule change. The warning raised by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) highlighted the rules Read more »

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Just as you think that we are moving rapidly through the highest tech era this planet has ever been through with new advances being announced virtually daily you hear a story that makes you realise that we still actually live in the real world. I read that Mazda have recalled 65,000 of their 6 model cars in north and central America. Suddenly you think Read more »

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When I was training as an accountant one of the subjects I had to cover was statistics. At the start of the course we were shown a graph of the stork population in Sweden over a 5 year period. We were then shown a graph of the baby births in Sweden during the same period and the two graphs were virtually identical. As more storks were born more Read more »

We’re getting to that time of year when I’m sure I’ll have plenty of reports relating to tyres but before we get into the summer/winter tyre debates a question has come up regarding speed ratings on tyres. When a car is new tyres are often fitted by the manufacturer that have a speed rating much higher than the car is capable of travelling. For example a car may be fitted with V rated tyres, safe to a speed of 149 miles per hour. The question is should the same tyres be fitted when they are due Read more »

The drive in movie is a phenomenon that never really caught on over here as opposed to the USA where it seemed to feature in any movie (did I say movie?) that had young actors and actresses in making the film appear hip and trendy. But thanks to the RAC this is changing this year. They are sponsoring outdoor screenings of car-themed films across London. For details of where you can go and sit in your car and Read more »

I saw recently in Auto Express a report on the way insurance premiums are spent on claims. Whilst I talk regularly about insurance, and how to reduce premiums etc., I thought it made interesting reading and felt I should share it with you. The average premium has risen from £354 annually 15 years ago to £616 annually, even worse if you have loyally stuck with the same insurer which they suggest would now have Read more »

Have you taken much notice of the key to your new car? You may well find that it no longer has the metal bit that normally goes into the lock. As a result you may well think that it is a bit of electronic jiggery pokery that is used to make it more difficult to start your car without the key. But you may be surprised to learn that it actually stores a lot of information about the car and its service condition including its Read more »