Recent Research warns Cigarette Smoking distracts Drivers

Cigarette smoking has been around longer than the modern automobile itself. Almost all automobiles were at one time equipped with a device called a "cigarette lighter" to aid the driver and passengers in lighting a cigarette. Millions of drivers routinely "light up" the second they start their engines without giving a second thought to the potential dangers the distraction of cigarette smoking may be causing.

Studies on Cigarette Smoking while Driving

Up until now, studies pertaining to the effects of cigarette smoking on one's ability to safely operate a motor vehicle have been few and far between, limited mainly to acknowledging the potential adverse health effects of second-hand smoke on the passengers riding within a vehicle. Since January 2009, smoking in automobiles has been banned in Ontario if there is a passenger under 16 in the vehicle.

Only recently has it come to the public's attention that cigarette smoking poses a potential distraction, not unlike talking on a cell phone when driving. A recent survey by the Government of Quebec found that the most common source of driver distraction is cigarettes (41.1%), followed by hand-held cell phones.

Teen suffers Traumatic Brain Injury due to Cigarette-Distracted Driver

With regards to incidents of carelessness or negligence, sometimes it takes a catastrophic injury or needless death to capture the attention of the media and the public. In a recent Ontario motor vehicle accident, the life of a promising young teen was permanently altered by the negligence of a truck driver reaching for a pack of cigarettes that had fallen to the floor of the passenger's side of his vehicle. While reaching down to retrieve them, the truck driver took his eyes off the road and then was unable to brake in time for a stopped school bus with its light flashing, just over the crest of a hill on Erbs Road in Waterloo. As a result, the truck struck a young girl, who had just disembarked the school bus.

The impact of the truck threw the child over 13 metres in the air and she struck her head upon impact with the road. The victim, 13-year old Lydia Herrle, who was on track to be her class valedictorian, suffered internal injuries, multiple broken bones and also, a traumatic brain injury from which she will likely never fully recover. The responsible driver lost his job, was fined and charged with careless driving. In a letter to the court, the driver expressed sincere remorse for the consequences of his actions saying, " I have come to realize that every second of every day we must remember that our actions as people not only affect us, but can have an affect on others around us " (The Record.com, April 2, 2013).

How Cigarette Smoking distracts

The are many ways in which cigarette smoking can distract from driving. Lighting and smoking a cigarette requires concentration and a considerable amount of physical coordination. A person must physically hold the pack of cigarettes and use manual dexterity to open a new pack or to remove a single cigarette. This takes both the  driver's eyes and hands off of the wheel and the road for up to five seconds, which is potentially even more dangerous than glancing down to answer a phone call or fiddle with a music selection.

The driver then has to find a cigarette lighter or worse, light a match to light the cigarette, another distracting action. Once lit, the cabin of the vehicle can fill with smoke if windows are not open, which can result in a decrease in visibility in all directions as well as significant eye irritation. The latter can cause the driver to have to rub their eyes, further hampering their attention and field of vision for the safe operation of the vehicle.

A smoking driver must deal with the burning cigarette, likely taking his eyes off of the road to flick the ashes. If the ashes aren't properly disposed of, the red-hot head of the cigarette can fall onto the lap of the driver causing the driver to frantically find it and sweep it onto the floor. Once on the floor, there is the added danger that the lit head of the cigarette could cause the floor mat so burn and produce a foul-smelling smoke, further distracting the driver who wonders where the smell is coming from. And in a worst-case scenario, contents of the car, including the driver's clothing, could catch fire.

The act of cigarette smoking is a form of distracted driving that has until recently gone relatively unremarked upon, if not unnoticed. It is somewhat surprising that so little has been done to focus the public's attention on the effects that smoking has on a driver's ability to pay attention to the road and to operate a motor vehicle safely. Whether or not lawmakers expand the current ban on cigarette smoking in cars containing adolescents to include all passengers regardless of their age and/or add an anti-smoking provision to new anti-distracted driving legislation, the effects of smoking on driver inattention merits serious consideration.  Smokers can contribute to safety for all users by simply pulling over to the side of the road for a cigarette break, similar to anyone who wishes to use a cell phone.   Consider the words of the Crown Prosecuter in the tragic Lydia Herrle accident: "It’s hard to comprehend how for the want of a cigarette, lives have been changed so drastically,” 

If you or someone you love was injured in a motor vehicle accident resulting from a negligent driving action, call a respected Injury of Ontario lawyer in your local municipality to find out about your legal right to compensation for your losses. Our knowledgeable and respected lawyers at the offices of Kitchener personal injury lawyers offer a no-obligation consultation to learn about the unique particulars of your case and can recommend the optimal approach to obtaining full compensation for your losses.    

Sources:

https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/road-safety/behaviours/distractions/did-you-know/

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/2626637-dropped-cigarette-led-to-crash-that-left-wilmot-teen-lydia-herrle-with-life-changing-head-injuries/