Smoking can kill you

Last months news about a proposed law banning smoking at the wheel will have smokers incandescent with rage. 'How dare they,' they'll splutter, 'curtail our freedom to kill ourselves in our own cars?'

Personally, I don't care if people who smoke while driving kill themselves, either slowly via lung cancer or rather quicker by crashing into a tree while lighting up. But no car is an island: we all share the same roads, so if you veer towards me 'cos you've dropped a lit fag into your lap, you're going to kill or injure me too - just because you've got that nicotine monkey on your back.

The Highway Code actually lists smoking while driving as a distraction. Think about it: you have to pick up the packet, open it, take a cigarette out and fire up your lighter. Now excuse me for lecturing, but when you're driving, you should only be driving. You shouldn't be making phone calls, lighting up a fag, turning around to look at rear-seat passengers or the myriad other stupid things you see people doing at the wheel of a car.

The UK's road accident record is one of the best in the world, but this lulls many of us into a false sense of security. We're too complacent by half. It's time we woke up and smelled the fumes: driving while distracted can kill - and smoking is a totally unnecessary distraction we would do well to stub out.

So should we totally ban smoking whilst driving - yes lets BAN it!!