Predicting the future
Yet another “study” has farted out from the bowels of academia.
This one is a census on the number of people using mobile phones while driving or smoking in their cars with children present.
Apparently the figures they came up with are 2.56% for mobile phones and 1.39% for the smoking. Put in perspective, that means that out of a thousand cars, 26 will be driven by people using phones [which is against the law here] and only 14 will be smoking.
The conclusion of the study [and for once I agree with them] is that it would be a waste of time, money and effort to impose a legal ban on smoking in cars.
Now our Heath Minister, Fatso Reilly will be well aware of this report. Will he abandon his plans for the legislation? It will be interesting to see.
If he abandons it, it will be the first glimmer of hope that he may have a modicum of intelligence and common sense.
If however he continues with the legislation then it will prove what a lot of us have known for a very long time, namely that all these petty and vindictive anti-smoker laws are nothing whatsoever to do with health but are a determined and concerted effort to demonise and vilify smokers, no matter what the cost.
Watch this space.
I'll keep watching that "space" !!
How's the drip today?
Just spent the afternoon between the shops and dismantling / assembling the filter [several times]. Each time I fixed a drip another would appear and I would have to start all over again. I think it's fixed now. Leastwise I'm knackered and stink so much of oil that Herself is warning me about lighting the pipe. I didn't think she cared?!
I honestly don't see what's wrong with taking a call while you're trying to light a smoke as you approach a roundabout.
Your last sentence is so true " all these petty and vindictive anti-smoker laws are nothing whatsoever to do with health but are a determined and concerted effort do demonise and vilify smokers, no matter what the cost."
The only reason I stop the car to take a phone call is because I can never find the right button or slidey bit to hit. So if ever you see a car stopped in the fast lane of the M11………
Of course he won't abandon any plans to legislate. The antis are on a roll, and they intend to take full advantage. Any possible way they can discomfit smokers is on the agenda. Once they have cars under their belts (and the 'children' bit will be left out of the legislation, despite being the lever used to push it through) then the next logical step will be homes. "To protect the cheeldren" of course. But then, level playing field and all that, the law will be applied to all homes. And so the march of the zealots continues.
They can go fuck themselves if they ever think they are going to stop me smoking in the car. And as for the house?
Anyhows, I'll just plead insanity!
Of the twenty six from a thousand who use their 'phone whilst driving are twenty three of them police officers?
They don't count. Police and gubmint ministers are apparently immune from the law.
I'd reply back to Bottler and ask if he's that interested in motor safety maybe using an indicator comes before in-ve-he-cle activity. Then he can happlily pass it on to the Transport Minister as is fashion. Who will no doubt pay Gay Byrne several hundred to think about.
How many women out of 1,000 powder their noses in the morning when driving to work? I think the academic researchers should apply for government grants to get some fascinating stasi/stats. Or how many out of a thousand apply lipstick, and which colour? Then the academic researchers desperately need to get stasi/stats on how many men out of 1,000 pick their noses when driving. Why don’t they stop in lay-bys and discreetly do it out of view? Then the government may need to know that 0.0753/1000 male drivers spit out the window when driving; or that 1.978/1000 children in cars chuck out empty plastic mineral bottles on summer Sunday afternoon drives through the Wicklow mountains. Really we all need to know what’s going on on the Irish roads.
As an ex commuter who used to spend a considerable length of time semi-parked on the Stillorgan Road observing other drivers, I can list reading newspapers, reading books, shaving, eating breakfast cereal [out of a bowl], blow drying hair, applying make-up, chatting on phones, putting on or removing items of clothing and God knows how many more. Incidentally all of the above were in vehicles that were in motion at the time.
For your information, I got the full research literature and it says something different entirely. The 1.39% were all smokers in all 2,300 cars. The number smoking with another present though was eight, out of 2,300. But given that the proposed law is to cover children, how many were actually smoking, out of 2,300, with a child present.
Just one !!!!!
What percentage is that by the way ?
0.043% by my calculations! For fuck's sake. That proposed law really is insane. It is there purely to stack yet another law against smokers.