# Is smoking while driving really dangerous? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 15, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666 "2006-02-15T19:00:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/21 "2006-02-17T08:23:56Z")
I used to smoke and it was no problem at all while driving. Several times I dropped cigarettes. If it fell on the floor I stamped it out, if it fell on the seat I picked it up. As I mentioned in the cell phone thread, it is not unheard of for people in Australia to be booked for not being in proper control of the vehicle if caught eating or reading but smoking is considered OK. Presumably the difference is that most of the time the smoker has both hands on the wheel. On my trip home today I only spotted one phone user - the 18 year-old driving 25 kph under the speed limit in the fast lane. Did wonders for rush hour traffic flow. I didn’t spot any smokers doing that. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/22 "2006-02-17T16:07:38Z")
> [@Duggy Fizzle](#): > > And you FREQUENTLY have to breathe second hand smoke at red lights? How near do you pull up to the car next to you? Don’t you know that second-hand smoke is like nerve gas? One part per billion can be lethal? :rolleyes: And I’m a non-smoker, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/23 "2006-02-17T16:16:18Z")
Are we talking only “dangerous” as in likely to **cause** an accident, or also “dangerous” as in the damage it might do **in** an accident? Cell phones definitely seem to be a worse distraction for drivers and decrease driver awareness more than cigarettes do. However, a cell phone is not likely to be shoved down your throat or ground into your eye or cheek by an expanding airbag, nor is it likely to set fire to your car. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/24 "2006-02-17T16:41:39Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Don’t you know that second-hand smoke is like nerve gas? One part per billion can be lethal? [angry hijack] That’s why they banned smoking in city parks up here in San Francisco. You know, outdoor second-hand smoke…it’s claiming the lives of thousands. But don’t worry, you can still smoke at the public golf courses. And yes, I’m still bitter. [/angry hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/25 "2006-02-17T17:28:51Z")
I’d have to say that anything that disctracts the driver is dangerous. I’m not a great driver–not enough practice to be comfortable, especially since I do not own a car–and I find that even talking is often too much of a distraction. But that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/26 "2006-02-17T17:36:16Z")
> [@Birdmonster](#): > > [angry hijack] That’s why they banned smoking in city parks up here in San Francisco. You know, outdoor second-hand smoke…it’s claiming the lives of thousands. But don’t worry, you can still smoke at the public golf courses. And yes, I’m still bitter. [/angry hijack] I hope they ban smoking in all city parks, everywhere in CA. It may not be all that dangerous, but it is annoying (and yes, they do ban other annoying things like dogs pooping on the grass in most parks). And, by and large, smokers are litterbug pigs who discard their butts everyfuckingwhere. Butts are the #1 item in litter counts, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/27 "2006-02-17T17:56:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I hope they ban smoking in all city parks, everywhere in CA. It may not be all that dangerous, but it is annoying (and yes, they do ban other annoying things like dogs pooping on the grass in most parks). And, by and large, smokers are litterbug pigs who discard their butts everyfuckingwhere. Butts are the #1 item in litter counts, you know. Boo that. A park is an outdoor public place. Enact and impose a fine for littering butts (or dog shit, for that matter), but smoking outdoors is not a signifigant health risk. Smokers are already ostracized. At least let us walk across the park in peace. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/28 "2006-02-17T18:30:56Z")
> [@Werd](#): > > At stop lights I frequently have to breath second hand smoke. I guess I should keep my windows rolled up on a beautiful day. And the pedestrians in the crosswalk are subject to your car exhaust. Life’s tough. That’s what amuses me most about outdoor smoking bans. People complain about the cigarette smoke, but are apparently immune to the diesel fumes. Whatever. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/29 "2006-02-17T22:29:35Z")
I quit smoking cigarettes several times, but the final time was after I nearly drove off the highway while lighting a cigarette. That was more than 30 years ago. About that time, a friend of mine threw a cigarette out of a convertible just before he got to a shopping mall. When he returned to his car, the fire department had just finished extinguishing his car. His cigarette had blown back into his own back seat, and it destroyed the whole cockpit. ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/30 "2006-02-19T23:18:51Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > And the pedestrians in the crosswalk are subject to your car exhaust. Life’s tough. > > That’s what amuses me most about outdoor smoking bans. People complain about the cigarette smoke, but are apparently immune to the diesel fumes. Whatever. :rolleyes: um, con respetto, there are arguably social goods that flow from the diesel use , whereas cigarette smoking produces only detriments both to the smoker and the bystander… ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/31 "2006-02-19T23:21:28Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Are we talking only “dangerous” as in likely to **cause** an accident, or also “dangerous” as in the damage it might do **in** an accident? > > Cell phones definitely seem to be a worse distraction for drivers and decrease driver awareness more than cigarettes do. However, a cell phone is not likely to be shoved down your throat or ground into your eye or cheek by an expanding airbag, nor is it likely to set fire to your car. I read somewhere (sorry, get your own cite, its’ frivolous) that smoking was the second most dangerous thing to do while driving, after eating an ice cream cone–both allegedly because of the statistically predictable incidents where the cigarette or icecream ends up on the seat between your legs, with attendant frantic gyrations, etc. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/32 "2006-02-19T23:23:04Z")
> [@alaricthegoth](#): > > cigarette smoking produces only detriments both to the smoker and the bystander… Apart from the tax revenue. And looking cool. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/33 "2006-02-19T23:27:54Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Apart from the tax revenue. And looking cool. 😉 but what good is it to LOOK cool, when you go to collect your coolness reward, and the girl won’t kiss you because you stink of tobacco… ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/34 "2006-02-19T23:30:12Z")
> [@alaricthegoth](#): > > but what good is it to LOOK cool, when you go to collect your coolness reward, and the girl won’t kiss you because you stink of tobacco… btw, I had a \*60 cigarette a day habit–I love nicotine, which is a fabulous drug provided you plan to die before age 50. Up until 1900, this was not a problem… \*I would have smoked more if I had more time, but that was all I could fit in… ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/35 "2006-02-20T16:23:15Z")
> [@riker1384](#): > > It’s only dangerous if the cigarette starts talking to you. That only happens to me with a half-smoked butt that a passenger leaves in the ashtray. It says, “Smoke me.” ---
**Author:** ![mrald](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mrald](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrald)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/36 "2006-02-20T18:00:20Z")
> [@mks57](#): > > My experience is that cigarettes are much less distracting than cell phones or passengers who insist on having a conversation with the driver. I am a smoker. I have dropped a cigarette while driving and run off the road. I have also flicked one out the window and it flew into the back seat. I almost wrecked trying to put out the t-shirt the butt caught on fire. OTOH, I have also missed turns and almost rearended folks while driving and talking on the phone. maybe I should consider a bike? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/37 "2006-02-20T19:02:47Z")
I’m in New York state that has a driving while talking on the cell phone law. You are allowed to use a hands free kit. It doesn’t seem to help much. I see people all the time still talking away. In all of the press back and forth when the law was up for debate there was a widely touted study about how cell phones use up part of the brain activity that driving also uses. I’ve driven a truck and a cab for a living. After spending countless hours on the road I’ve seen dumb driving, careless driving and WTF moments. Putting on makeup, reading a map and talking on cell phones are what I’ve seen as the biggest distractions to drivers. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/38 "2006-02-20T20:46:32Z")
If it’s the car that’s smoking—yeah, probably dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/39 "2006-02-20T21:40:12Z")
This I don’t get. Surely if you’re talking on a cellphone with a hands-free kit, surely it’s the same as talking to someone in the passenger street. I have heard that “the person on the other end of the phone can’t react to what’s happening on the road”. Well neither can a blind person. Or an angry girlfriend. Should they be banned too? ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666/40 "2006-02-20T22:03:46Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > This I don’t get. Surely if you’re talking on a cellphone with a hands-free kit, surely it’s the same as talking to someone in the passenger street. I have heard that “the person on the other end of the phone can’t react to what’s happening on the road”. Well neither can a blind person. Or an angry girlfriend. Should they be banned too? Yes, but that wouldn’t be practical. The driver should ask the passenger to be quiet so that he can concentrate on driving safely. If the passenger will not comply, pull off the road and resolve the problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-while-driving-really-dangerous/344666.md?page=3)