Who, What, Why: Is smoking in cars dangerous?

[Gerald]

A ban on smoking in cars where children are present may be introduced in Wales. Is lighting up inside your vehicle damaging?

If a campaign to change attitudes does not succeed, a tobacco ban inside vehicles in which children are travelling could be imposed, the Welsh government has warned.

Such a move would bring Wales into line with a number of other jurisdictions around the world. But is passive smoking a danger to passengers?

Anti-smoking campaigners point to a University of Aberdeen study which suggested that it exposes children to levels of smoke comparable to those in a smoke-filled pub.

But the smokers' rights lobby questions the research, saying another study indicates the vast majority of people would never light up with a child travelling alongside them anyway.

If Wales were to adopt a ban on smoking inside cars in which children were present, it would join the US states of California, Arkansas and Louisiana as well as parts of Canada and Australia which have already done so.

Since 2009 smoking has been banned in the UK within vehicles used for work or to transport members of the public. Additionally, the Highway Code advises against smoking while driving because it causes a distraction.

Anti-smoking campaigners say they would like to see the law tightened further.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14142992

Note: 14 July 2011 Last updated at 00:01 GMT