Stop smoking in cars with children inside!

Published on February 6, 2008 2:53 PM

State legislators have proposed a law to ban smoking in cars if there are children inside.

Shay Schual-Berke, State Representative, compares it to driving drunk, explaining that people are injuring their children for life if they smoke in cars.

She claimed "Did you know that the poisons from secondhand smoke, which we know to cause cancer in adults; cause asthma and bronchitis in children and adults, and is also associated with sudden infant death syndrome? I've seen people smoking and I've watched their children in the backseat coughing."

Some support the ban, saying they would never smoke with children inside. That is one of the smokers’ biggest problems. Who else is going to defend the kids if their parents are not going to do that?

Others say it is an invasion of people’s privacy.

One of the parents said “I really do not believe that the government should be insisting on laws like that. It's just a little intrusive now, definitely”.

Schual-Berke says “You wouldn't get pulled over just for smoking while your kids are in the car. But you could face roughly a $100 fine if you're caught after you're pulled over for something else. The law is needed to protect children”.

Several states, including California and Alabama, already banned smoking in cars with kids. Twenty seven states are considering a similar smoking ban.