Should smoking with kids in the car be outlawed?
Kansas, which is considering legislation that would ban indoor smoking across the state, recently proposed an amendment to the bill that would make smoking in a car occupied by anyone under the age of 18 illegal. (The amendment was dropped, being seen as a possible hindrance to passage of the bill.)
When I was young, my father used to smoke in the car until I implored him to stop. (Several years later he apologized to me. After 15 or so years as a non-smoker, he had ridden in a car with someone who smoked. "Honestly," he told me, "I had no idea how awful it was.")
As a life-long non-smoker, you can imagine where I stand on this matter; even so I've been amazed at how many of the smokers I know object to smoking in the car, particularly with kids on board. My brother-in-law, who will light up when he's alone in the car but not when his daughter is with him, has told me in the past that he thinks smoking in a car with kids should be illegal.
So -- what do you think? Should smoking in a car occupied by kids be against the law? Click the "comments" link below and tell us what you think. -- Aaron Gold
Update: Utah is now considering a law banning smoking in the car with kids ages 5 or under. Arkansas and Louisiana already have such laws on the books; in Arkansas the cutoff is 6 years of age or younger or 60 lbs. In Vermont, Washington and Texas, foster parents are not allowed to smoke in the house or in the car with their foster children. -- AG
Comments
Why are so many afraid of second hand smoke. Consider the exhaust from cars. What would you choose, being in a closed garage with the engine running or in the same garage with say 100 smokers?
perhaps cars should be illegal?
Yes, smoking in a car with kids should be illegal. There is absolutely no question that second hand smoke is unhealthful and toxic. Why would putting a young child in a car (or house for that matter) filled with toxic fumes NOT be considered child endangerment? I say pass the law and hope every other state follows suit.
It should not be banned, as there is simply no evidence, that a child was harmed (not exposed) in a car while some cigarettes were smoked. Exposure and harm are different matters.
The author states himself that he was exposed to second hand smoke in the car and he did not like it. But he is still kicking, so what harm was done? There are lot of awfull things in the world, which we do not like, but they will not harm us. I myself was exposed to smoking not only in the car by my father and it never bothered me.
The dose makes the poison and as my father said “A little dirt does no harm”.
I moved to the PR. to get away from people like you who want the Goverment to make a law for everything my God where will it end ,take respocibility for yourself and let other people deside what is good for them.
The evidence of damage done to individuals by second-hand smoke is abundant. Yes, many of us grew up being trapped in cars with smoking parents, with no visible side-effects, but I remember to this day the discomfort, the burning eyes, and the noxious fumes I had to breath when my mother smoked, especially when the windows were rolled up. For parents to obliviously disregard the potential damage and the discomfort to their children is sad. Yes, smoking when children are in the car should absolutely be banned.
And Ken, you say “What would you choose, to be in a closed garage with the car’s engine running, or in the same garage with 100 smokers?” And therein lies the rub - children don’t get to choose. Oh, and by the way, in a closed garage with 100 smokers would be much worse.
Sorry, but I have to agree with Greg. As a former over the road trucker,( you ought to see some of the rules we have to follow now!) and an ex-smoker, I have to say, take some responsibility for yourself. If they pass this law, what’s next? Sorry, I don’t want to live in a country where the government tell’s you how to do every thing, and polices you consatantly, even in your home! Instead of that type of policeing, why not ban the production of cigerette’s? And let the police do the job they were hired to do- protecting us from all the bad guys!
Most of these anti smoking advocates need to get a life. Harm from second hand smoke has never been proven. This was a contribed plan that was introduced several years ago and after repeated pressure of socialists among us they suceeded to take another right away from us. Where is the right of the smoker’s in this country? If there was any truth to all of this then why aren’t cigarettes & cigars outlawed?
YES, ban it. States require kids to be buckled-up and/or restrained too. To most of us this is obvious, but unfortunately we need to legislate it just to protect the kids from moronic parents that think it’s OK to have the child standing up in the back seat. Same with smoking in the car. I’m all for smoker’s rights, but do it on your own time when the rest of us (and your own children) won’t be affected.
Stop trying to support the smokers. Adults get to choose when and where. Children that travel with adults that smoke in their cars are quite simply hostages and cannot choose. The number of summer trips that my parents called short because of my getting ill from their smoking - respiratory illnesses, ear infections and repeat sore throats. Getting stuck in a car with two smoking parents was torture. Literally.
They never got the clue why these problems happened every road trip across the country we made. They have both stopped smoking and have said they are sorry for the problems they caused.
Don’t force your habits on your children, it’s irresponsible. Smoke if you choose, it’s your choice and right but don’t force it on others especially children.
Ban all forms of unnecessary smoke or don’t
Regulate all forms of unnecessary smoke or don’t.
Wood smoke is more dangerous than cigarette smoke. Banning cigarette smoke without banning wood smoke, that is unnecessary for society is discrimination.
It’s time to ban fireplaces and wood stoves. Once that is achieved, the society should ban candles and bbq’s, the toxicity of those items also harm children.
No form of unnecessary smoke should be spared. Level the playing field.
though i know smoking is not good for anyone..if we let laws interfear with personal rights what we do in our cars..the next thing is they will pass laws what you do in your home. yes, need to be aware of health..but when goverment starts making laws in our personal lifes..is can be very dangerous. I guess folks have nothing else to do but get into other peoples personal afairs. i could go on and on…it appears we are losing more rights every day and the goverment or who ever that are taking up time in gov. offices coming up with law after law to put on peoples and take more rights away….
As adults, we need to protect our children. My mom died of cancer, from smoking. I begged her to stop, when I was a teenager, and knew the risks. I hate smoking, to this day. When I was a baby, my mom (not knowing any better in the 60s) would smoke while she gave me a bottle. How horrible. It was fashionable to smoke then, and also to bottlefeed. I now suffer with asthma. Now, we as a generation, know better, we know what’s in second hand smoke, and also first hand smoke for the smokers. To me, it’s like their playing Russian Roulette. They are gambling with their lives, as they light up the cigarette. But as an adult, I don’t care what the adults do, go ahead and smoke yourselves to death, that’s fine, it’s your life, but please don’t do it in front of the kids. Go outside!!! Don’t gamble with the kids health and safety !!! A smoker who smokes in front of non-smokers, especially young infant lungs, is to me, child abuse. They are harming the infant !!! Many hospitals have gone non-smoking. No one is allowed to smoke on hospital grounds. They are providing “clean air for the babies”. I’m still in disbelief as to understand, how the cigarette companies, could manufacture and sell this known carcinogen to the public. Nicotine is a drug, and as far as I’m concerned it should be illegal like the other illicit drugs. And to the smokers, who are proud of themselves to be smoking, and want to fight us non-smokers, for our rigts, you are in such denial, and I feel sorry for you. Every cigarette that you light up, is adding another nail to your coffin. You will die prematurely, and suffer from maladies, from smoking. So to answer your question, should it be a law, yes indeed !!! Someone needs to keep the children safe and healthy !!!
why take a chance with or without evidence its not about the smoker its about the kids health. i wish people wouldn’t worship smoking. I’m allergic to it and i had cousins not ride in the car with me because they had to smoke and I had not seen them in years.
The U.S. Surgeon General’s report released June 27, 2006 confirms there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that even brief exposure can cause immediate harm. The only way to protect nonsmokers from the dangerous chemicals of secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking completely indoors. Smoking rooms, sections and even the most sophisticated ventilation systems will not eliminate the health risks. Would you feel confident swimming in a non-peeing section of a swimming pool?
I used to smoke (quit 2005). I didn’t want to believe my smoking harmed anyone. I called the reports hype and scare tactics. I know it cannot be disputed that secondhand smoke kills. In fact, it kills more than 50,000 people annually.
Secondhand smoke contains 4,000 chemicals, hundreds of which are poisonous and 43 that cause cancer. It is the third leading cause of preventable death in the country, shown to cause lung and nasal cancer as well as heart disease in nonsmokers.
Who’ll speak for the unborn and the children who when exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems and more severe asthma.
Ask families who have lost loved ones to lung cancer, although they never smoked a single cigarette. Ask young adults who are battling a cancer they acquired because they worked in a smoking restaurant, bar or other workplace — yet they never lit up. Ask them if you have the right to fill their lungs with your smoke.
When smoking rates drop and workers are healthier, our country will attract new and better paying jobs. When more jobs are created, the tax base is broadened, which ultimately lowers taxes for all taxpayers.
Businesses are constantly looking for ways to cut costs and increase productivity. Obviously the health of your employees is the major factor in your bottom line. When employees smoke, they are not the only ones who pay. Increased medical costs, higher insurance rates, added maintenance expenses, lower productivity and higher rates of absenteeism from smoking cost American businesses between $97 and $125 billion every year.
Smoke like a chimney if you choose, but not inside a car or public places. On behalf of the unborn children, the people who make their living in establishments where smoking is still permitted, for your children and grandchildren suffering with asthma and respiratory problems, for the elderly and anyone else subjected involuntarily to a killer in the air — exercise your right to smoke outside of public places only.
I stopped smoking in 1996 for health reasons. In my opinion, I don’t think people should smoke in a car with children under 18 or anyone who does not smoke or does not like someone having smoke inside or around them.
However, I don’t think a “law” should be passed to accomplished not smoking. Tell or ask the person to “please stop smoking” if they don’t or won’t, don’t ride or hang with them anymore. We have too many laws on the books now and because of it many are not enforceable. I also believe in the long run we will be hurting ourselves, we will have so many laws we will end up giving our freedom and losing or trashing 2nd amendment. Why do we have to have another law or are we losing the ability to communicate with one another.
Thats why we should have only on lauguage in the goood old USA, English.
If you want to speak another language or practice a custom, fine. But once you become a citizen of this country you are a AMERICAN, no matter where you came from or what your heritage is. Thats what AMERICA is all about, we are a melting pot and after everyone gets mixed up the result is a AMERICAN, period. If we don’t start getting back to that idea America will fold just like the “Roman Empire” and many other great peoples of the world, just read your history books, please. If and when America goes there will be no other. Just ask people who have come here from oppressed countries. I’m sorry to say many Amercans you don’t know how good you have it. And once you loose it, you will never get it back.
Even for all our faults, its still the best country ever, “I love this coutry (USA) with all my heart.
How far should goverment go? How many rights do we need to lose? Whats next? America, Land of the Goverment!
I find it offensive to see babies and children in cars and someone smoking in the car. Besides the fact it can’t be healthy, it is unpleasant to say the least. If someone has a desperate need to smoke while driving they need to pull over and smoke outside the car. I’m a smoker and I don’t smoke in my car or my house because I don’t want everything to smell badly. I never subjected my kids to my bad habit.
No! We’ve got to many laws that take away our individual freedoms. As long as Tobacco is a legal substance then people should be able to use it.
Anyone who is still claiming that the dangers of second hand smoke have not been proven need to go here and read the report for yourselves. As for your right to smoke, yes it is, but what about your children’s rights to a life free of the side effects from breathing your smoke?
Although there are some pretty silly laws on the books.. many laws are to PROTECT our freedoms not to take them away. That is, of course, unless you are the one that the law was designed to protect others from. Children don’t usually get the chance to speak for themselves. If they ask a smoker to put out their cigarette because it bothers them, they will probably not get the same result as an adult asking. That’s why the law should be enacted. We have laws against: child endangerment, child pornography, child abuse, forced child labor etc.
If there is any chance that it bothers someone or could latter lead to a health issue, you should have at least the common consideration to NOT do it. Most people do have the consideration, but unfortunately, some don’t. That is why there need to be laws against such things. I’m certain that most of the people in this forum that have responded against the laws enactment would not even dream of forcing a child into prostitution. Even if it’s something that they feel they have a right to do. After all “It isn’t hurting anyone. There couldn’t POSSIBLY be any long term Physical side effects!!! The Government is just making up those statistics. It never bothered me when I was growing up”
Not everyone reacts the same way to everything, but as a rule, if there was never a need, there wouldn’t be a law. If the Company’s dumping the contaminents into the river cared about others there wouldn’t be a need to enact laws and fines to prevent it. I’m sorry if you moved here to be able to do what ever you want and it’s not working out, but we do have freedoms here and you are not going to take them away if I have anything to say about it.
What would you do if a young child asks you not to smoke inside the car? Now, what would you do if there was a law prohibiting you from smoking inside a car with children inside?
Smoking is just like passing gas. You inhale then you pass it out.
How would you feel if somebody passes gas inside your car with the windows up?
Most people will not smoke in a closed car with children on board.
That being said,to make a law forbidding it makes as much sense as the seatbelt law that requires a driver surrounded by 2500lbs of metal to wear a seatbelt,but a person on a motorcycle doesn’t have to wear any restraints.i guess the levis they wear are stronger than the metal in my car.
I agree with the others who said,’when will it end”
The government has intruded on almost every phase of American life.
You cannot legislate intelligence any more than you can legislate safety.
Common sense must dictate what we do.Not uncle stupid!!!!!
One more thing to go with my previous comment,what about the idiots that have the children seated in front of the huge speakers going full blast.
Usually in a car that has a book value of $19.65 with $2500 worth of stereo equipment.
Kids don’t know enough to protect themselves and some smoking parents obviously aren’t smart enough to care for their children. Hence, ban smoking everywhere that someone else must also ‘enjoy” it.
YES, and if fact why dont we just tell kentucky they are gorwing an illegal drug, and force them to grow Corn for flex fuel instead.
Why is it any different than Columbia growing cocaine?
We keep passing laws, shouldn’t we just admit that its a deadly drug.
No! Yes it may not be good for the kids but how can you tell someone that they are not allowed to smoke in something they are or have paid for, I thought this is a free country. I’m not even a smoker and this is just dumb.
Yeah. Why should I not be allowed to smoke the weed I just bought if I feel like it? This is a free country.
Why can’t I kill my annoying neighbor if I feel like it? It is a free country.
Why can’t I beat up these stupid people posting comments against a law on smoking inside cars with children inside? This is a free country.
To Joe,
perhaps because all of your why cant’ Is are already illegal.
this new law is just another attempt by government to take away all your freedoms,one at a time.
do you also think all the illegals should get uor social security benefits?
DEFINATELY:
The government should and eventually will be in total control of our every waking moment.
As mere mindless humans, we should never be allowed to do anything at anytime without governmental approval. We should not even be able to live in any form or degree of privacy. We should have glass walls around us.
If we were allow to think on our own, we could probably improve this country.
Probably the reason I don’t smoke is a road trip I took with my smoking grandparents one hot summer when I was a kid. It was awful! I think it should be legal to smoke with kids in the car just once, then never again. This might actually cure many kids of the desire to take up smoking. I don’t think this is a smoking issue, it is a parenting issue. I am sorry, but what kind of a parent would allow their kids to sit in a car with a smoker? Bad parents. Most states don’t allow kids to ride on motorcycles without a helmet. Whether or not I choose to ride without a helmet or smoke in a car is my choice but kids are different. What does it say about a society that does not take extra steps to protect its children? Even if it means protecting them from their own parents. This law would have my vote.
Considering that the basic premise of smoking is to inhale smoke which is a carcinogen, I’m not sure the conversation should be revolving around legality but around logic. Legislating logic and common sense seems to be the outgrowth of our own stupidity. It is present in cars locking the doors for you, mandatory seat belts, helmet laws for motorcycles, etc. We live in a dumbed-down world. My vote is to start thinking for ourselves again.
Let’s follow this attempt to keep kids safe to it’s logical conclusion. Kids are killed and injured in car accidents every day. Let’s just outlaw kids in cars. Problem solved.
For the record, I’m a non-smoker. Just the smell of cigarette smoke drives me crazy. Parents should not smoke around their kids, especially in an enclosed space. They should also only feed them healthy food (from the federal list of approved foods), provide the proper amount of exercise (in an approved play ground), and make sure they get the proper amount of rest (according to the handy chart provided to you when they were born). And if you refuse to do these things the government will be happy to raise your children for you.
All smoking everywhere should stop. In a car, kids or not, it is as dangerous as a cell phone, a BlackBerry or putting on makeup. Too bad if it takes a law. The sooner the smokers die from cancer the better off the rest of us will be.
The proposed statute is similar in nature to the laws requiring children to ride in car seats. If you believe in the car seat law, it should follow that you are willing to support this legislation.
In this country we are free to choose our activities, so long as those activites do not infringe on the rights of others. Smoking inside a car with children infringes on the right of those children. The law is a reasonable one.
Mark says:
January 30, 2007 at 4:16 am
And Ken, you say “What would you choose, to be in a closed garage with the car’s engine running, or in the same garage with 100 smokers?” And therein lies the rub - children don’t get to choose. Oh, and by the way, in a closed garage with 100 smokers would be much worse.
Excuse me Mark, I realize you can’t afford to accept Carbon monoxide from car exhaust isn’t as lethal as cigarette smoke. After all that would be way to much inconvenience to accept..
I would bet 100 smokers vs 1 car ..The car would kill first.
I think that would be carrying things a bit too far. I am a smoker and when I have anyone along with me, I always make sure the window is cracked open a little so that most of the smoke is drawn outside.
While smoking in a closed car is for little kids and idiots,what about the drunk drivers and cell phone idiots.
Anyone that causes an accident because of alcohol or cell phones, should be charged with murder 2.
I think more children are victims of these insensitive,uselss individuals than any amount of cigarette smoke.
Why dont’ the people that resent smokers use their energy to remove these things from the road and then concentrate on the DEADLY cigarettes.
my generaton survived parents who drank and smoked during pregnancy and driving.
Its’ funny that cigarettes became an issue when some people with a theory went public.
Linda:
Just so you know, my father (as mentioned above) was under the same delusion — that if the window was cracked and most of the smoke went outside, the smell wasn’t a problem. When he was a smoker, he couldn’t smell the smoke — but the fact is that even if the window is WIDE open, the smell, for those of us who don’t smoke, is very, very strong.
Smoking apparently deadens your sense of taste and smell. That’s why my father’s ride in the car after so many years of not smoking was so revealing. The stink would be a better word was far more overwhelming than he possibly imagined, even with the driver’s window open. if you ever decide to quit smoking, you’ll see what us non-smokers are complaining about.
It’s great that you’re trying to be so considerate of your non-smoking passengers; just thought I’d enlighten you as to what it’s like.
By the way, for those smokers who would like to quit, About.com has a site to help:
quitsmoking.about.com
As a smoker myself I wouldnt subject my kids to a smoke filled car, I dont even like a smoke filled car myself. So to me this becomes a common sense issue. Is smoking bad, yes, is it legal, yes. But do I think our tax paid government should step in on a common sense issue, no. There are so many issues in the world today that needs our governments attention. Laws to teach a few ignorant smokers common sense is a waste of my tax money and our governments time. This an unfortunate issue.
I think this is ridiculous. People just have too much time on their hands. Focus on more important issues, such as children who are molested every day. Now that’s a bigger problem than a smoke-filled car. There are hazardous situations everywhere, just get over this one.
I think it’s funny how all of these cigarette issues are going around. I believe drunk driving is a bigger issue. Let’s focus on that already illegal problem.
I smoke but i come from a very anti smoking state, California… People are always making comments or gestures when i smoke… People hate us… anyhow back to the question i would never smoke with people and/or kids in my car.. to all you smokers out there .. look at it as a reward once your destination in the car is over you can smoke! Its not to difficult
You’re younger than I. The fact that your father even considered not smoking is amazing. My parents both chain smoked in the 60’s and it was terrible. No one could have ever convinced them that it wasn’t OK. To answer some of the other posters. Cracking the window doesn’t work and smoking in the car is child abuse. It’s as important as seat belts.
Yes, kids should be put inside protective bubbles so they are never harmed by anything. No cell phones in cars (distraction), no fast food (choking hazard), no talking (distraction), no gas powered vehicles (fumes), no highway driving (deisel exahust and high concentrations of carcinogens) no pets (distraction/attack). Actually children should not be allowed in cars until the auto is about 3 year old and has completely off gassed (i.e. no more new car smell) to protect their health (reduced lung function due to chemicals). An auto with a child should never go through Burger King drive through (grilled meat produces carcinogenic smoke). Children should not be allowed to drink public water (chlorine is top producer of asthmatic and COPD prone children and has poison - arsenic - in it). Ditto swimming pools.
i think that it not fair to the smoker to do that. If the we want to smoke with are kids we can and no one can tell us that we cant
I guess I think that, like many issues, this is yet another distraction. The fact of the matter is, there are several major international wars going on, global warming is beginning to truly become evident, poverty and hunger are rampant both internationally and at home, uncurable viruses are wiping out millions of people, and… we’re all bickering over whether or not people smoke with their kids in the cars?
Yes, the safety and welfare of children is an important issue, of course. Yes, this singular issue does raise some important questions about governmental regulations and the limitations thereof. Yes, the very act of smoking with children in the car shows a complete lack of thought and decency. I honestly don’t know whether I agree with this law or not; I’m inclined to say no, simply because I believe in less governmental regulation of personal choice (as far as I’m concerned, the government can mandate a healthy lifestyle as soon as they provide me with free health care). However, I think it’s a distinct sign of the times that our government is spending their time (and our money) regulating issues such as these when there are so many larger-scale issues that truly demand our immediate attention.
Lets just take away everyones rights. That sounds good?
LETS JUST HAVE THE GOVERNMENT RUN EVERYTHING. BECAUSE WE ARE OBVIOUSLY TOO STUPID TO THINK FOR OURSELVES.RIGHT?
# 49: Evidently, YES. There are some really bad arguments here. All of you responders who say “no way, they’re taking away MY rights” are missing the point. It’s not always about YOU. In this case it’s about a child being held hostage in your car while YOU get to exercise YOUR right to pollute their air. I agree that there exist bigger problems, but that doesn’t mean that those of us who aren’t actively fighting those problems can’t discuss this one. Cliff #15 said it right in his analogy with a “no pee zone” in a swimming pool. It would be great if we as a society could rely upon common sense to govern our actions, but many people spend very little time considering the impact of their own actions on others. Because of this we unfortunately need to use laws to protect our rights in these matters. I think it sucks that we need to commit it to law, but too many people seem to go through life thinking only of themselves.
Surely one’s freedoms end where other’s begins, including one’s children’s. Smoking is proven to cause cancer, as does second hand smoke.
I quit when I found that it was going to kill me. After all the trauma (and there was some), I don’t miss it. Smokers really do emit a foul stink and so do their clothes, houses and cars. I never knew that while I smoked because I couldn’t smell.
If I have a problem with such laws, it concerns the enforceability of such or similar legislation, certainly not the validity of the public concern.
sorry to say but anyone with a view like buffy should not have children. children are to be protected at all cost. c-smoke is deadly for adult far less children. when we start putting our selfish sick interest ahead of the weakest member of our future society in the name of personal rights and choice, that a slid down a very steep slope that open all sorts of scary doors.
personally i feel it is an utterly selfish and insensitve statement to the automotve world out on the roads that you are a horse’s a** if you do so. it would please me to great lengths if a smoker with kids was pulled over and got bi*ch slapped for doing so. but NOOOO! the govt. wants to ticket and fine you, as in “a new revenue source”. again, for the sake of a good sentiment we give the government another avenue to tax us and put us on a new slippery slope for further fines/taxes…such as “smoking interferes with the safe driving of a car”…get it? yes we are always willingly giving away our freedoms(and money) to a greedy government that is always ready to plunder our wallets for “our own good”. by the way i’m still looking for those people who elected our officials who brought us great ideas like the parking meter so we can pay to park on streets paid for by property,gas,auto tag taxes, etc.
My 2 cents… The government has no right to make this kind of law. What’s next… a law banning people from wearing white after labor??? We have to draw the line somewhere… you can’t protect yourself from dumb people even with a “law”, people break laws every day.
Sorry, I meant to type after “Labor Day”… oops… see… you can’t spare yourself from dumb people! We are everywhere!
This must be the most rediculous thing I have ever heard, some of you are actually defending yourselves for surrounding children with second hand smoke?? That is disgusting and you do not deserve to have children when you are deliberately and carlessly exposing them to deadly toxins. Go to your doctor and ask him to compare files of a family exposed to cigarettes to files of children who have not and you will see that children in the smokers household are much more prone to sickness AND to be smokers themselves than the kids who were not exposed to constant second hand smoke.
And just what kind of parent decides that a craving is more important than the comfort and health of their own children? Poluting your lungs is your own choice and you have no right to force that down the throats of a young child who is unaware of the harm being inflicted upon them. It has been proven through thousands of studies that second hand smoke is even worse than first hand smoke, causing a weekend immune system, easily suceptible to respiratory infections, throat infections, the common cold, and nicotine is a stimulant so kids are being mentally overloaded, and statistics show a much great chance of babies dying from “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome”.
I am a mother myself and up until two weeks ago I was a smoker. I quit because I am pregnant and my likes should have no consequences on my children. I also have a five year old son who I have NEVER smoked around unless we were outside where he would not be affected. On the coldest day of the year I huddle outside on the back porch puffing away or wait out my nic fit. I am sure that once this child is born, much like the last time, I will start smoking again because it is something I enjoy, however my children will never have to suffer because of my decision to light up.
Shame on all of you who do not appreciate your children enough to put them first.
The question is should second hand smoke, a know cancer causing agent, be banned from defenseless children in a confined space such as a car? The answer is YES!!!
I think that it should be illegal to smoke with kids in the car. I grew up where my mom smoked in the car, to this day she still does. the smell sticks to you and inside the car (and makes the windowns disgustingly dirty). this gets to me so much that i refuse to drive my mother anywhere because of this fact.
While we’re at it, why don’t we just let the government decide everything about raising our kids. In fact, why don’t we let them decide everything that we can and can’t do! Don’t like the way someone looks at you? That look is banned! Don’t like the skirt that woman is wearing? That skirt is banned! Think balogna is just too gross to eat? Balogna is banned! But don’t come complaining to me when you can’t do anything that you want because its all been banned by the government, and you find that you now live in a police state.
Drew, I like your point. Definitely worth more than .02. I hate excess gov’t too. This topic is interesting not because it’s only about health and safety of kids, but because it brings out the question: where do we draw the line?
I think it should be law because
a. I’ve met too many people that treat law as both a legal & moral guide. You know ‘em too, they say stuff like “it’s not against the law!” to rationalize their actions.
b. Enabling it as law won’t cost much and it won’t infringe upon the rights of those who aren’t doing it in the first place.
The Goverment is making a law for everything, soon we will have No Rights. My God where will it end , You should have the right to smoke or not smoke in your home, car or ETC. People don’t you see that BIG BROTHER is telling us what to do! We all have a mind, don’t let goverment decide for us. Why are you not up in arms about 911 or the WAR.
That should be our main concern. NOT should we smoke or not smoke.
Ban it! My father was a three pack a day smoker when I was a kid, and no maybe it won’t give me cancer. But going to school everyday and being picked on because I smelled like smoke and my clothing smelled like smoke was torture. He always coached us at sporting events but would have to go for a walk for a cigarette and it was turly embarrassing as a kid. Now he’s in the worst shape of his life and needs oxygen. Face it! Smoking is stupid and it’s gross, but you have the right to do it. Just don’t force it on anyone, especially little kids.
I realize that the term “common sense” is an oxymoron these days, but has anyone thought to slightly crack a window so the smoke is immediately evacuated? I smoke in the car all the time, and my car’s interior does not smell of it. Proper ventilation is such a simple and obvious solution.
Jim - Cracking the window doesn’t alleviate the smell. You won’t know this ’til you quit smoking and your sense of smell comes back in full force. Trust me, your car’s interior smells.
i cannot believe that some people do not believe that the hazards of secondhand smoke have not been demonstrated. something interesting… some states have laws that ban FOSTER parents from smoking around foster children. Why is this protection not extended to ALL children? So if you give birth to or adopt your children you have the right to expose them to harmful toxins without the government intervening?
All of the above proponents of smoking in a closed environment with children present are simply clouded by their addiction. These drug addicts have more rights than necessary to facilitate their habit. Those rights should not extend to the endangerment of the innocent and powerless.
I think taking care of kids is an exception to people who argue there are too many laws and people shouold be able to due as they please. Mearly because as we all know parents can be just plain dumb. I think the evidence is clear taht second hand smoke is poison. A child can be made to enhale it if the parent is stupid enough to smoke in the car with them. Maybe a law would make them think twice.
Ken has brought up an interesting point. Car exhaust is also toxic, yet no legislation has been passed outlawing car use; however, with the question you asked I must say that I would prefer being in the garage with a car running for two reasons. One, I can turn the car off, smokers are much harder to convince to stop, (for the most part) and I would get closterphobic with 100 smokers in a garage.
But cars are used outside, where the exhaust defuses into the other gases within our global ecosystem. The problem is, smokers practice their habit in closed, public areas. (public, in this case, means an area with non-smokers and smokers.) Where the second hand smoke also affects non-smokers.
well, i think you have to be a total idiot to smoke in a car with children. just like you are a total idiot if you smoke while pregnant. and you are just plain rude if you smoke while in a room or car with any non-smoker.
i think it should be illegal to smoke in a car with children, but i dont think it will ever be so. people say it’s their personal right to smoke, what about the childs rights? but until people are less stupid, i dont think there is much that can be done.
i just went to a baby shower the other day of my cousin. it was a cold day, so no windows or anything were open, and at least 4 of my aunts were just smoking away, with 3 pregnant women in the room and at least 6 children under the age of 10 in the room. PEOPLE ARE STUPID, my sister and i had to leave the room, cause i refuse to have my unborn baby exposed to that crap. i’m 7.5 months pregnant and my sister is 2 months pregnant and allergic to smoke and my whole family knows all this and still choose to smoke in the room with us.
i would also like to add,
i worked in childcare for 5 years and i could point out each child that the parents smoked around the child. they always came in smelling like smoke, coughing, runny noses, or asthma, ear infections, ect. i could point this out even if i had never been told or ever met the parents. so to say it’s a personal right, is crap! it’s that childs presonal right not to be sick all the time because of the adults gross habit!
We don’t pay taxes for them to tell us what we can and can not do…Pretty soon we will be ran by the government, and we wont be able to do anything without someone knowing or someone watching
welll i honestly think that they should make it illegal becuxx no kid should be harmed…second hand smoking id bad for people who didnt noe that i gues the guyy that is under my comment doesnt noe how to be a father at all or maybe is not even a ftaher i really dont like people who smoke in front of there ids like if it doesnt du nuthin bad to them well dey du if u go to this link www.google.com…and serch does it harm kids when u smok aroung dem?>>>>>>it will telll you everyhthing that i learned and im onli 14 thnaxssss and have a niceeee lif33 if u contunieeee to smoke3
it shoudlnot be banned b/c they paid for the cigaretes and had th kids so they have very right to do it
the state of pa has the slogan”click it or ticket” referring to the seatbelt. i would love to see the same law go into effect for smoking in the car with children . as parents, they strap thier children in thier carseats then light up. Parents are so worried about getting them buckled in and not having them hurt in an accident they dont stop to realize they are actually killing them at a slow death due to second hand smoke.if any one knows of a way to get this law to the senate let me know.
Greg and all who have the ability to leave a car or not get in when someone is smoking GOOD FOR YOU. A child/infant/toddler does not have that ability or capacity. A toddler can’t decide not to get into a car that will be filled with second hand smoke. Laws are made for selfish self centered or ignorant people who do not see the detrimental effects of there actions on innocents.
Thousands of children DIE each year as a result from second hand smoke. The children can’t stand up and tell an adult to keep the smoke away from them, they don’t know that it’s harmful to them. One of the LEADING causes of SIDS is exposure to smoke! Being exposed to smoke as a child greatly increases the likelihood of a child getting asthma and other allergies. It should be illegal to smoke anywhere that children are present!
Adults should be careful around kids because they don’t realize that kids don’t like it, and it is harmful to the younger ones. But the choice is also up to the adult. They choose to put their kids in danger. The kids don’t know better because they haven’t realized it until it was too late. Adults should know where to smoke, and when not to.
Putting your child in a car or house is like putting them in a room full of toxins. Imagine, poison all around and everyday your child is breathing in that poison, damaging their lungs until they finally die, or they can get cancer. Then imagine the fact that you put the toxins in the air. Most parents wouldn’t like that. Second-hand smoke is as harmful as most poisons, though they don’t have the same symptoms, except dying.
I definitely think that this should be passed, personally.
I smoked a few times when my son was in the car and felt HORRIBLE about it after…I’m a non-smoker now as my ex-mother in law passed from Lung Cancer at the age of 39.
Looking back, I believe smoking around my child caused numerous problems…ear aches/infections…made him more susceptible to catching colds and illnesses from other children, and possibly long term problems that haven’t come up yet.
BUT…
I also believe that if this law is passed…then MOTHERS who smoke while pregnant should be fined as well. Talk about unhealthy. Isn’t that 10 times worse for the child…in utero second hand smoke?
I feel that the young parents with children need some guidance…I know I did. They are new, young, and ignorant to parenting.
I don’t believe that government needs to govern our every move…and smoking is a choice for most people…but it shouldn’t affect the children that DON’T have a choice or the people that choose NOT to smoke…because those people are now infringing on OUR rights.
I have two boys and I smoke i NEVER smoke in my car around them I think it should be a law that you can’t!!!!
i think that parents should be able to smoke in their cars, they prolly have had a hard day at work and cant smoke in any bars so they have to do it in thier cars get over yourself government
Most days on my travels i see so many mothers smoking in their cars with young children and all windows closed. What the hell are they thinking of. Those poor kids. Today i saw a young mother sat in her car in a car park smoking and yet again windows shut. I walked passed and their was a baby sat on her lap. Please BAN this.
Of course they should pass this law, you as a parent are not looking out for your child so doesnt someone have to? I mean isnt attempted murder a crime??? poeple who smoke around there children anywhere do NOT deserve to even have them. By smoking around your children or taking them where there are others smoking you are endangering there lives…hey why not let them play in a busy street? STOP BEING SELFISH.
I think they shoud ban smoking in cars. I am ten and I know I dont want to be around it and I am around it sometimes and it REALLY sucks. I matter too.
I think they should ban smoking in cars. I am only 10 and I am around it sometimes and I dont like to be around it. Dont I matter too?
The level of disrespect when some one lights up in a confined space is baffling .
Smoking is not a contained action, it impacts ALL around you. If I brought out a steamer (which only eliminates non-toxic, odorless water vapors) most people would tell me to stop. However because we been force fed that smoking is socially acceptable, most people TOLERATE IT! I you want to smoke go ahead, but do it privately without impacting those who choose not to smoke. In essence, don’t force feed others your disgusting habit.
I ABSOLUTELY AGGREE WITH OUTLAWING SMOKING IN A VEHICLE.
So I read the comments and I have to say WOW. I didn’t know there were still people in the United States of America who don’t believe second hand smoke is dangerous? This is not new news and there is no controversy here. It’s a fact. If you have doubts-pick up your pack of cigs-they kindly printed right on the pack for you. The surgeon general warns you of the dangers and even the cig companies will tell you. The other day, I picked up a pack of cigs and it said simply “smoking kills” Assuming you eventually exhale the smoke, it also harms those around you. I suppose this is why our government has to step in sometimes. Individually, some of us are not too bright. As a nation we have a duty to protect the weaker ones among us. And by the way, the government doesn’t decide…only propose. We elected the people who are proposing these bills and we will also be the ones who decide to pass the bill. Anyway, smoking is a personal choice and I beleive as an adult you should be able make that choice. Should you have the right to chose that for your children? This one seems pretty simple to me.
Duh!! I didn’t read all of the comments on here but the first one makes no sense. You would have to choose to be in a closed garage with the engine running or a childs parent whould have to do so for the child. I, like many people grew up with one sometimes two parents who smoked in the car and the house and how awful it was. I will say that some smokers today seem to be more respectful of not doing it when other people are in the car with them, however the chemicals and toxins from the cigs smoked while no one is in the car stay in the car and can still be ingested either through breathing or by little kids touching parts of the fabric etc. and then putting those fingers or toys into their mouths. I don’t think that we can ban smoking in cars altogether although I would be the first one for that but why put this age limit of 5 or 6 on it? Until kids are old enough to drive on their own they are forced to ride in the vehicles of their parents and are subject to all that is bad about smoking in a car. Smoking in vehicles with any one under the age of 18 or at least 16 should be banned in all states. I know of a 12 year old kid who is asmatic and his father continues to smoke in the car any way. Beyond the stupdity here there should be some penalty for those who are not smart enough to care for those they are meant to protect.
I think smoking in the cars with kids in it should banned because every ciggarete is doing you a damage
What is the difference between an asphalt plant near your home and smoking in a car.
You have the windows open while smoking in a car, and the windows closed when living near an asphalt plant, yet your home still smells of asphalt, and according to the enviromental agency, it is legal for the plant to operate. So stop picking on smokers. I am not a smoker, but lets put this in perspective people and target the real culprits in our world. !
Simply put, my grandfather and grandmother smoked in a car with my mother and father in their car, and they don’t smoke. They are now in there 60 and 70 and my Grandmother is in her 90s. And from what she told me her Dad smoked? Might be have been in a carriage? However, he lived to be 90 something, and his brother lived to 101. Last thing we need is the Government stepping in and passing rules that is none of there business. All of us are productive and most of my family likes to have a smoke a drink or maybe eat a steak? I know lets pass the rule on a condition, that if the window is down or cracked, it is ok but if the window is up lets impose the government to place a fine on us for a child being around smoke? Please, let’s stop these ridiculous rules; I don’t need this from Uncle Sam.
Dear Mayor and Council,
While I appreciate the desire to shield children from secondhand smoke exposure in cars, I’’m afraid that the proposal to ban smoking in cars occupied by children represents an unwarranted intrusion into the privacy and autonomy of parenthood. The autonomy to make one’’s own decisions about what risks to subject a child to is not to be interfered with lightly. It should only be done in cases where there is a substantial threat of severe harm to the child. Interfering with parental autonomy in a case where there is only minor risk involved is unwarranted.
Let me explain what I mean by substantial threat of severe harm and minor risk.
If an infant is riding in a car without a car seat, there is a substantial threat of severe harm should the car be involved in an accident. In fact, if the car is in any major accident, severe harm to the child is almost certain. Death is likely if the accident is severe. The connection between not being in the child restraint and suffering severe injury or death in an accident is direct, immediate, and definitive.
On the other hand, exposure to secondhand smoke in a car in most cases merely poses an increased risk of upper respiratory or middle ear infection. The likelihood, more often than not, is that the child will not suffer any harm. What is involved is only an elevation of risk for an ailment. There is no certainty of harm, nor is there any substantial threat of severe harm. The harm, if any occurs, is removed in time from the exposure and in most cases it is impossible to directly connect the exposure with the ailment. Thus, the connection is neither direct, immediate, nor definitive.
This difference is not subtle. In fact, it is so stark that it serves as the basis for deciding when society should interfere with parental autonomy regarding exposure of their own children to health risks. Generally, causing harm to children or putting them at substantial risk of severe, direct, immediate, and definitive harm is viewed as something for which there is a legitimate government interest in interfering with parental autonomy. Simply placing children at an increased risk of more minor health effects is not something for which there is a legitimate government interest in interfering with parental autonomy.
If we extended the argument of the supporters of this proposed legislation, then we would also have to support laws that regulate a wide range of parental activity that takes place in the private home which places children at increased risk of adverse health effects.
We would have to ban parents from smoking in the home. We would have to ban parents from drinking more than a drink or two at a time in the home. We would have to ban parents from using insecticides and pesticides. We would have to ban parents from allowing their children out in the sun without sunscreen. We would have to ban parents from allowing their children to ride giant roller coasters. We would have to ban parents from serving their children foods that contain trans-fats. We would have to ban parents from serving their children peanuts before age 3. We would have to ban parents from allowing their children to drink soda that contains sodium benzoate and citric acid.
And more:
Allowing their infants to play with walkers;
Allowing their children to watch more than four hours of television every day;
Failing to ensure that their children get adequate physical activity;
Owning a wood-burning stove;
Failing to filter water that contains trihalomethanes;
Not boiling their babies’’ bottles before serving them milk;
Not breastfeeding their infants;
Allowing their children to watch violent television programs;
Allowing their children to watch R-rated movies;
Serving alcohol at a party;
Allowing their children to drink alcohol; and
Failing to keep vitamins out of the reach of children.
One could easily argue that ‘If you love your children, [these are all things] you should learn not to do.’ That may or may not be true, but what is clear is that we should not interfere with parental autonomy by banning all of these things.
The question I find interesting is why a child advocate would single out smoking around one’s children as the sole example of a situation in which the government interferes with the autonomy of a parent to make decisions regarding the exposure of her children to a health risk. What is it about smoking that, among all of the myriad above health risks to which parents often expose their children, it is the one and only one that is chosen to be regulated?
I fear that the answer is that there is a moral stigma attached to smoking as opposed to these other risky parenting behaviors. And I also fear that it is the anti-smoking movement that has contributed to this moral stigma. What it ultimately comes down to, I’m afraid, is that the anti-smoking movement is starting to moralize. We are starting to try to dictate societal morals, rather than to stick to legitimate public health protection.
It’s a dangerous line that we’re crossing. Because once that line is crossed, there’s little assurance that the autonomy of parents to make decisions regarding raising their children can or will be adequately protected.
Thomas Laprade
Thunder Bay, Ont.
I say this to ken if cars were illegale we woulb be much healthier. But Just think about rideing a bike or running,walking every were you need to go. Think shoping are you going to carry all your bags home? Ther are working on makeng a cars more Environmentally friendly. I am 14 i deal with my parents someing in a car it sucks, Especially on the way to a cross county meet at 6 in the morning. THINK ABOUT IT
There is more to a good law than its moral justification. In Arkansas, the law states that you cannot smoke in a car with any child under the age of six in a safety seat present (Children who are under six and/or under 60 pounds must be restrained in a child safety seat). Some things that must be considered:
1) Is it enforceable?
2) Does it leave room for “false guilties”?
3) On whom does it place the burden of proof?
For instance, “John” smokes - but never when his kids are in the car. He still has his cigarettes and lighter with him, there are still butts in the ashtray (and often the floor), the car still reeks of stale tobacco smoke. He is not breaking the “no smoking w/ kids in the car” rule.
If he were stopped, would he still get ticketed? How will the officer who stops him be able to determine whether he was smoking when the children where present?
If he is not ticketed, who will get ticketed? Will it only be people who have children in the car and a lit cigarette when they get stopped?
To me, this is just plain poor legislation; it is meant to either give the appearance that the state Assemblymen are tough on smoking, or to create precedent that will eventually allow the government to outlaw smoking within one’s home.
My car is my personal property - it must be, the state charges me personal property taxes on it, just as they do on my house. They won’t tell me I cannot smoke in front of my kids within my house because that would violate the presumption of privacy. How, then, do they presume to tell me that I cannot smoke in my car? Conversations that occur in a vehicle whose windows are closed would be considered private, why not smoking?
I am a non-smoker who still thinks this particular bill is poor legislation. I would much rather see my state completely outlaw smoking than pass laws which are virtually meaningless.
The great state of Arkansas might ban smoking in cars with young children - but they repealed their helmet law.
And Arkansas accepted those formaldehyde-poisoned FEMA trailers for tornado victims in Northeast and Central Arkansas - in the midst of all the news coverage about the formaldehyde.
And we have an anti-stalking law, but for the behavior to be considered stalking, the stalker must threaten the stalkee. Otherwise, it’s only harrassment, and it’s much more difficult to get the cops to step up and do anything about it.
But Arkansas assemblymen are concerned for the health and safety of all of Arkansas residents - especially the young. Just ask them.
#65 - The theory is that if they are Foster children, their natural parents may not wish for them to be exposed to smoking, and until a child is 18 and/or emancipated, their parent or guardian is responsible for them. A foster parent, however, is a temporary guardian only and most states prefer to try and reunite the child with their birth family. But natural parents are considered permanant guardians, and if they want to expose their child to their vices then it is Okay (within certain boundaries). Also, the tobacco industry has a great deal of political power… which is why smoking laws tend to only go so far and no further. Politicians like their constituents to think they are pro-health, but they don’t want RJR to stop funding their campaigns.
I only need to say one thing on the subject…..
Intead of bitching about smokeing in cars, how about you deal with all the deaths and injuries caused by alcohol on the roads of the USA.
I am 13 years old and i dont care if you are an addict or not, smoking will kill you and you should think twice before you pick up another cigarette, think about all the people that you will lose if you got a dealthly diesease that would kill you! I am sick of the people that are addicts and think that smoking is good for you and that wont happen to me!!! I wish this law would have passed and passed through all of America!!!
please drop that cigarette,
Autumn
Whether you anti-smoking nazis like it or not, there nas not been a single study that has proven that secondhand smoke is harmful.
I am so sick of the government wanting to take all of our freedoms away. It’s starting to get very rediculous.
I absolutely think that smoking with young children in the car should be outlawed! I’ve been doing research so that I could pass a law in my state so that smoking is not allowed in the car while young children are present. I’m glad that I found your blog!
It’s sad that children have more knowledge about the harm of second hand smoke than many moronic adults!! My son who has never been exposed to cigarette/cigar smoke for eight yrs was suddenly forced by the court to start seeing his dad when his dad decided he wanted to try being a dad after all these years. Not only is he an alchoholic (whole different subject), but he and his long time girlfriend are very heavy smokers and live in a small trailer. My son had pneumonia two years ago and had to have breathing treatments for many months. Do you think his dad cares?? No!! So my son could possibly have lifelong breathing problems because of a selfish, idiotic, moron!!
hello ken i would like to thank you for being an ignorant moran. the fact is that kids dont have a choice as to wethier or not thier parents smoke in front of them. when some innocent child like my causin happens to get asmaha and can no longer play sports, it needs to be illeagle. i am all for small gov and personal choices, but when you choice causes 200,000 plus deaths a year to non smokers, it become a problem.