Motorists could soon be banned from smoking while driving, according to road safety campaigners.
A spokesman from the Local Authority Road Safety Officers' Association (Larsoa) said that addicts were distracted while smoking, which could lead to accidents.
Simon Ettinghausen from the association said that, with the smoking ban set to take effect on June 1st, more people might light up in their cars with the number of public locations where smoking would be allowed set to be limited.
Officials from the organisation will be discussing their proposals with the government in the next few weeks. However, the calls have been strongly opposed by groups including pro-smoking organisation Forest and the Association of British Drivers.
"Anything you can do in the car is a distraction, whether it's eating, drinking, using a mobile phone or smoking. But smoking in particular can be very dangerous," Mr Etthinghausen said.
"If you drop a lit cigarette, your concentration on driving will immediately vanish."
Paul Smith, founder of another road safety organisation, said he was "amazed" at Larsoa's proposals.
He said that a ban on smoking at the wheel might bring in new crash risks, as addicts can often feel "agitated or anxious" if they cannot have a cigarette.
"The last thing we need is more agitated or anxious drivers," he said.
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