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YLKI urges police to ban smoking while driving
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The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) have called on the police to ticket motorists who smoke while driving.
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T
he Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) have called on the police to ticket motorists who smoke while driving, citing the number of traffic accidents that mostly affect motorcyclists.
YLKI chairman Tulus Abadi said that at least 30,000 motorists die each year due to human error.
Smoking while driving, he added, reduces concentration and could result in an accident.
“The accident would not only put the driver in harm’s way, but others as well. Cigarettes thrown haphazardly out of car windows have been known to cause fires,” Tulus said as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday.
Tulus cited research conducted by the London-based Institute of Advanced Motorists on the effects of smoking while driving, saying that 56 percent of 3,016 respondents agreed that smoking while driving should be made illegal.
“Forty-eight percent of respondents believe that smoking while driving is an irresponsible act, while 46 percent believes that it is as dangerous as using a mobile phone while driving,” he explained.
Tulus further said that the police should enforce the law consistently.
The Jakarta Police previously planned to roll out a regulation that would make smoking and listening to music, among other things, while driving illegal. After massive outcry from motorists, the plan was reworked to target those using their mobile phones while driving, including using their phone as navigation. (jlm)
