Risk perception - new study While I agree with the sentiment, the two questions aren't directly comparable, unfortunately.
There are all sorts of biases that this particular question brings up. I would guess that somewhere close to 100% of those questioned drove a car, while around 14% of the UK population smoke. So, naturally, we expect that people would object more strongly to something that they were on the receiving end of.
But, humans are extremely poor at judging risks, particularly when the likelihood is low, or results won't be seen for a long time period.
In another question, 61% of people agreed that risk was “a natural part of driving”, whereas just 31% agreed when “driving” was changed to “working”.
Again, not equivalent; accepting a risk that you have control over, is vastly different to having a risk imposed on you. Its why everyone accepts risks at home that they would never accept in the workplace.