Smoking and traffic accidents.

Abstract

To the Editor:— Recent articles inThe Journal( 201 :861, 1967; 203 : 1100, 1968; and 205 :266, 1968) reaffirm the well-established relationship between drinking and traffic accidents. Studies have not, however, determined the effect of another popular pastime: smoking while driving. Certainly there are good reasons to incriminate smoking as a potential etiological factor in traffic accidents. Smoke and ashes cause irritation, tearing, and frequent blinking; thus impairing vision. The distraction of lighting a cigarette, or of searching for dropped ashes, can be a serious impediment to safe driving. Furthermore, smoking removes one hand from the wheel, thus reducing the driver's ability to maneuver the automobile, especially on sudden or sharp turns. Future investigations should make every effort to determine the importance of smoking as a cause of traffic accidents, because it would be quite amenable to both legislation and public education.