Forum: If phones can distract drivers, so can smoking

The recently tabled Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, which proposes making it illegal to hold a mobile phone while a vehicle is in motion, is a laudable step towards safer roads (Jail, fine for those caught holding a phone while driving on S’pore roads under proposed law, July 7).

However, if the physical act of holding an object is deemed a severe threat to road safety, we must address another overlooked habit: smoking while driving or riding.

Smoking actively occupies one of the driver’s or rider’s hands. Operating a steering wheel or motorcycle handlebars with only one hand drastically reduces a motorist’s ability to react swiftly in a split-second emergency.

Furthermore, the act of smoking introduces a cascade of physical and cognitive distractions, from lighting the cigarette and managing falling ash to looking away to flick it out the window. For motorcyclists, the stakes are even higher, as smoking directly compromises the balance and control required to ride safely.

There is also the secondary hazard of irresponsible disposal. It is a common, distressing sight to see motorists flick lit cigarette butts onto the road. These flying embers can strike motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians behind them. While the authorities have clarified that the new Bill focuses strictly on mobile devices due to the cognitive distractions screens present, the physical risk of driving one-handed while handling a burning object cannot be ignored.

If our collective goal is to reverse the recent rise in traffic fatalities and promote the discipline of keeping both hands on the wheel, the authorities should study whether smoking while operating a moving vehicle should similarly be penalised as distracted driving.

Lim Kee Liew