Recent legislation in Ireland has now made it an illegal offense for anyone to smoke in a car where passengers who are children are present.
That has just happened, in 2016.
Is it just me or does it seem A) a bit sad that we have HAD to make it illegal for people to smoke in enclosed spaces such as cars around kids and B) a bit annoying that it took so long?
I used to smoke and I knocked it on the head when I had the two kids.
But even when I was having a sneaky one here and there when my son was small, I would never have dreamt of smoking in the car with him in the back in a million years.
In fact, I never even felt right having a cigarette anywhere near him, not pushing the buggy or out in the park or in the garden. It just all felt wrong.
On the back of this new legislation, we asked what your opinion is of people who have smoked in the car with kids present, and the response was unanimously ‘UGH'”
“It’s more harmful to smoke when pregnant. let’s make that illegal too?!” – Fergus, North Co. Dublin
“Grew up in a house with four adults who all chain smoked over eighty a day, each. They bought cigarettes not by the packet but by the carton. You couldn’t see across our sitting room for the layers of smoke hanging in the air, as for the car ….. hahahaha…” – Kate, Co. Galway
“Sick people that’s what I think. They can destroy themselves but not destroy a child’s little lungs!” – Sinead, Co. Dublin
“Ill-disciplined, spineless, no back bone…. Such words come to mind” – Emmett, Waterford
“Irresponsible and selfish” – Aine, Clare
“Both parents chain-smoked in the car on long journeys with windows closed. They had to stop the car every half hour to let me get out and vomit. Mum said I was a bad traveller” – Marissa, Dublin
And our favourite:
“I think those parents should be up front driving the car. I mean who is in control if they are in the back having a fag?” – Paul, Dublin
What do you think? Join the conversation on Twitter @HerFamilyDotie
