Talking on the phone and texting at the wheel aren’t the only “no-nos” that can distract drivers and provoke accidents, some Jalisco state legislators are pointing out.
Hector Pizano of the National Action Party (PAN) wants to ban drivers from smoking, arguing that puffing away while trying to concentrate on the road is a danger to others. The legislator is seeking to change the regulations, arguing drivers are most frequently distracted when ash from cigarettes falls on to their laps. Another potentially distracting moment, he says, is when someone who is driving lights a cigarette.
Three weeks ago, Transportation Department chief Francisco Poe sent an initiative to Gongress asking for fines for driving with a baby or dog on one’s lap to be raised from 350 to 2,013 pesos.
Drinking and driving in Guadalajara has dropped substantially since the introduction of regular nighttime checkpoints over a year ago.