Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

In the Seanad the enemy of people smoking in cars was Senator Crown and the matter he raised may be worth researching. His view is that brain damage will occur if one smokes in such a confined space and that is aside from the risk of setting fire to oneself or other people, etc. Perhaps the matter could be examined. The relevant Bill was accepted unanimously in the Seanad and, I think, by the Minister. The safety dimension was not apparent to me until I heard Senator Crown mention the risk. It is like smoking in a telephone box and one would quickly damage one's eyes and intelligence. We do not think of a car as being a confined space but it should not be used to smoke in. The Senator would make that case for the awarding of penalty points but Mr. Faughnan will probably disagree.