Smoking in cars – unhealthy and hazardous

Overview

Why not smoke in the car? Smoking harms the smoker in the first place, but passive smoking also harms others in the car. Unfortunately, even with the windows open or the air conditioning on, the air pollution levels in the car cabin still exceed the given limits. Smoking in car contributes to the normalisation of smoking as a standard activity, which is particularly important for children. It distracts the driver's attention and the substances in the smoke reduce his or her attention and reactivity. Lighting a cigarette can be blinding. Driver's smoking significantly increases the risk of an accident, both for mechanical reasons and because of the dampening effect of tobacco smoke, especially carbon monoxide, and the high dose of nicotine. Dozens of countries ban smoking in cars, usually if a child, adolescent, or pregnant woman are present in the car, the Czech Republic is not yet one of these countries.

Keywords:

smoking, passive smoking, car, particulate matter auto, pollution, accidents