Smoking bans cost lives

Full marks to Daniel Finkelstein, comment editor of The Times, who spotted the following story and wrote about it on Comment Central yesterday. The gist of it is that smoking bans in America have been associated with a 13 per cent rise in the number of fatal car accidents.

Apparently, there is also "growing evidence" that suggests that "smoking lessens a drinker’s level of intoxication, and that nicotine deprivation can sharpen the urge to drink".

Finkelstein quotes The Atlantic, which reported a study by the Journal of Public Economics: 

While a national smoking ban could offset some of the increase in fatalities, perhaps alcohol, like coffee, is simply best (and safest) when enjoyed with cigarettes.

Full article HERE.

Comments

[chas]

Before the ban I thought that smokers drank slower that non-smokers, because they smoked in between 'sips'. Even more so now with smokers leaving their drinks inside, while they go outside to smoke.

[tom bayes]

watch out ! If you actually read this study Simon rather than someone trying to spin it, the conclusion you take is that the best way to minimise this risk is to introduce complete smoking bans like the one in the uk! The increase in deaths due to drink driving happens when you let the market decide or you regulate to allow some places to allow smoking - because smokers end up driving further to find a smoking venue and it is this search that increases the risk of drink driving. So to remove this risk dont let anywhere allow smoking.

Watch out what you claim - dont draw people's attention to this research.

Tom