[ashwin.terminat]

Smoking is something we all see in India. What we also see is a lot of people smoking in cars and callously dumping the ash out of their vehicles. They even do so when the vehicle is moving!

The ash that is thrown out is quite capable of causing burns as it is light and can easily be carried by the wind. As these will further elaborate:


"Hot cigarette ash flying into the eye may cause a corneal abrasion."
- Source

"A hot ash from hubby's cigarette blew back (in wind) and went right in my eye. Well, just like anything else blowing in eye, I flinched and blinked and blinked to get the ash out.
Well, um, I'm concerned because my vision is messed up.
I see shadows all around anything I focus in on (to right and left...especially light) and it feels like there's a film fogging my eye.It's about two hours later and my vision in that eye has improved by about 50%. The "film" has lifted about 25-50%"
- Source

Here are two pictures showing damage that can be caused by cigarette ash to the eyes.

Close-up Pic:
(WARNING: Might be slightly disturbing)
https://imgur.com/a/WnVEYyD

California fines such people with $400 and 8 hours of community service, why can't we?

Sorry to hear that someone's fun has caused lot of pain to you.

By the way, were you not wearing helmet, if you were on a motorcycle.

Teaching everyone is difficult where the government doesn't work at all. Instead of catching the Bad, they make rules to remove all tints. Already there is a rule to fine who is smoking in public places and to fine who is smoking and driving. But they are not at all implemented. Expecting these rules being implemented in india is very difficult. We cannot expect the traffic police to run through all cars which are stopped at a signal and check whether they are smoking on not. I cannot imagine a traffic jam being caused by police, just checking to identify a person who is smoking and driving.

Also, i would prefer to see Mobile + Driving idiots to be penalized first. I had near death experiences. Also recently a bus was run down by a train because of this.

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by gemi_kk

Sorry to hear that someone's fun has caused lot of pain to you.

By the way, were you not wearing helmet, if you were on a motorcycle.

Teaching everyone is difficult where the government doesn't work at all. Instead of catching the Bad, they make rules to remove all tints. Already there is a rule to fine who is smoking in public places and to fine who is smoking and driving. But they are not at all implemented. Expecting these rules being implemented in india is very difficult. We cannot expect the traffic police to run through all cars which are stopped at a signal and check whether they are smoking on not. I cannot imagine a traffic jam being caused by police, just checking to identify a person who is smoking and driving.

Also, i would prefer to see Mobile + Driving idiots to be penalized first. I had near death experiences. Also recently a bus was run down by a train because of this.

Oh, no. I haven't been affected by this. My eyes are perfectly alright.

But I've seen a lot of ignorant people casually throwing the cigarette ash out of the window. And I've always wondered about the kind of damage it could cause.

Implementation is difficult for anything in our country. But the first step is to ensure that the cops are authorized to do so. And I am not saying don't smoke in the car, by all means, people can do as they please in their cars. I have an issue with the way they dispose of the ash.

Can't expect them to catch them all, but fining even the fine will definitely help.

[vinit.merchant]

Just a small piece of information.
Smoking while driving is not allowed as per the RTO rules and attracts fine.

I have read it on T-Bhp itself long back in one of the threads. One of the members was actually warned by the RTO officer for it, after showing him the extract of the rule.

I will search for it and post the link here if I can find it.

EDIT: Here's a link to that article
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...rive-read.html

and the exact link to the RTO rules with fines (read fine no 42)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...tml#post897655

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

Just a small piece of information.
Smoking while driving is not allowed as per the RTO rules and attracts fine.

I have read it on T-Bhp itself long back in one of the threads. One of the members was actually warned by the RTO officer for it, after showing him the extract of the rule.

I will search for it and post the link here if I can find it.

EDIT: Here's a link to that article
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...rive-read.html

and the exact link to the RTO rules with fines (read fine no 42)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...tml#post897655

Yes, I had read that as well. But from the looks of it, sounds like the rule is only applicable to New Delhi.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-delh...while-driving/

[Latheesh]

How about someone throwing Tender coconut shell on road from moving vehicles? Happened to me once on Bangalore-Mysore road and it scared the hell out of me.

[Arkin evoisrevo]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

Just a small piece of information.
Smoking while driving is not allowed as per the RTO rules and attracts fine.

I'm sorry, but there is no rule that prohibits smoking while driving a non-transport vehicle.

According 21(14) of the CMVR (1989),
"smoking while driving public service vehicles"; "shall constitute nuisance or danger to the public."

As per the 13(b) of Karnataka MVR (1989),
-The driver of a transport vehicle while on duty, shall not smoke
The same applies to conductors and passengers of of stage carriers.

Law enforcement will sometimes, conjure up rules to fleece you.

People should learn to use an ashtray, the kind that fits in a cup-holder or onto A/c vent.

EDIT: The 7-year old ban on smoking while driving in Delhi is (good) news to me - can Delhi-ite members comment on how effective is its implementation?

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

How about someone throwing Tender coconut shell on road from moving vehicles? Happened to me once on Bangalore-Mysore road and it scared the hell out of me.

In the US, the rule states that apart from potable water and feathers nothing else can be thrown out of a vehicle. People in India throw all sorts of things. Tissues, water, you name it!

Originally Posted by Arkin evoisrevo

I'm sorry, but there is no rule that prohibits smoking while driving a non-transport vehicle.

Exactly. I Googled around, but wasn't able to find anything that pertained to non-transport vehicles.

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

Exactly. I Googled around, but wasn't able to find anything that pertained to non-transport vehicles.

Not sure about the law.

@Gemi

There might not be; but then there is something called common sense. Why not keep an ash tray if you are going to smoke in your car?

And if people really do feel that is okay; where does it stop? It will be okay to spit pan-gutka on the roads.. Forget about what others feel, it might cause pain to others. Who cares; I want my ciggy After all I am an Indian first - Free and Wild!

[Kumar R]

Great topic and thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention. I am extremely aware of this having suffered the loss of a couple of good white shirts to lighted ash while travelling home in a share-auto from Kandivili station during my Mumbai days. The culprit was a guy sitting beside the driver in another auto with no care in the world as he smoked and puffed away. Ever since then I have made it a point to keep windows up if climate permits when driving.

Nowadays while driving I sometimes notice cars with a driver who has a hand sticking lazily out of his window while holding a cigarette. It's annoying because not only is there the problem of (1) ash as noted by the OP and (2) secondary air pollution to passerbys (which is the reason public smoking is banned in most cities) but it means the driver is making do with two or three fingers less while driving which is dangerous.

Thankfully carmakers have become a little more responsible and stopped including or describing ashtrays within vehicles (our 1986 M800 came with one in the rear and front). I do believe the law should be amended to make it an offence at least for the driver to smoke while driving, similar to talking on a mobile.

[Octane_Power]

I wasn't aware about how dangerous cigarette ash is, but some 3 years back I read somewhere on T-BHP itself that such flying ash is quite dangerous, and since then I become extremely alert when the passenger/driver in the car ahead has his cigarette out of his/her window.

Most cars come with ash trays, people don't use them just because they will have to clean them later, but they don't think about the damage they can potentially cause to others.

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

In the US, the rule states that apart from potable water and feathers nothing else can be thrown out of a vehicle. People in India throw all sorts of things. Tissues, water, you name it!

OT- Really you name it and Indians can do it. How about this. I and a friend were standing outside a famous joint situated on a major road with good amount of traffic, and this lady flung a soiled diaper from the backseat and it landed just a few inches away from me I was left awestruck, I mean how can one throw such things on the road, I can't throw even a 5 rupee 5-star wrapper damn it!. It is because of such illiterates and civic-sense-lacking morons that our cities are going down the drain.

-Bhargav

[JoseVijay]

Aswin, thanks for bringing up an interesting topic. Few days back, I had to literally stop a car and take a lecture to the owner of the car for flicking cigarette ash out. Luckily I was wearing a helmet.

[aaggoswami]

The cigarette ash flicking is very dangerous for all, mainly to those who are behind the smoker and to all other on road. The attention on road will be less.
Its a show off also. Why drivers are allowed to smoke while driving ?

Now, coming to what is worse than flicking ash. Its Pan-Tobacco being spitted out of car. One biker lost his balance as he had to brake hard just because a guy in Outlander decided to spit out his Pan-Tobacco chewing.

Recently, a guy in Innova was ahead of me. He had bottle of water in his hand, took some water, gargling and then spitting out that water from mouth, all the while he was driving at more than 50 on congested road.

Ashtray is not a necessary, one should avoid smoking when A/C is ON. Others might not be comfortable. Also, it leaves smell for a long time.
Discipline is required, common sense more so. Chewing Tobacco-Pan, smoking while driving must be banned.

[virgopal]

On my road trip to Bangalore from Mysore in 1984, by my scooter,when I was passing by the side of a parked bus(near Mandya) where tender coconuts are sold,suddenly I got hit by a coconut shell thrown carelessly by a bus passenger on my head,shocking me to the core.I was wearing helmet as always and probably that saved me. I moved on.

[procrj]

well this is serendipity http://www.motoroids.com/news/smokin...ation-licence/

Do you enjoy to pop a cigarette when driving? Well, it’s about to get more injurious than damaging your lungs. Updated set of rules put out by the transport commissioner of Gujarat has listed 19 violations like speed driving, smoking, using phone while driving, driving under the influence of drinks and drugs, parking vehicles haphazardly on the road, driving overloaded vehicles etc. that would invite strict action.