Smoking in cars with kids

[Evil Chris]

It's about to become an infraction (in California) to do this if someone under the age of 18 is present.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071011/ap_on_re_us/schwarzenegger_bills

I'm not sure what to think about this. Smoking cigarettes is a legal activity, but I do agree that every effort should be made (by smokers) to keep cigarette smoke away from minors, and hopefully prevent them from becoming smokers themselves. So I have to say, that I reluctantly agree with these kinds of infractions.

Thoughts?

[LAJ]

As someone who was a kid with two smoking parents, yeah, I'm going to get all fascist here and say that it should be an infraction. Sure smoking is legal but I'm all for tough laws on it.

We KNOW it's harmful. Why should kids be subjected to it? I had asthma as a kid and frankly it could be attributed to being around smoke.

[Porn Girl]

I am a smoker and I have to say that I agree with the law. At the very least, it will make people think twice about doing this

[dyonisus]

I am not a cigarette smoker, I dotn smoke what I do smoke in front of children, and I certainly dont feel better for having been subjected to 2nd hand smoke my entire childhood, its something I could have lived without the parents smoking...

[Kenny B]

Anything that puts the child's health at risk should be infractions, after all we know about the damaging effects of cigarettes you'd have to be extremely selfish to smoke with kids in the car. imo

[Strickie]

This should have been a law a long time ago :smoker:

[O Marina]

I agree with the law & I hate smokers!

[HammerALL]

I'm so against censorship and banning of "legal activities" except in certain situations. But I'm also a non - smoker and HATE being in an inclosed environment with a smoker. It comes down to common courtesy which unfortunatley most people lack. I have to say I'm torn but like anything else - minors really can't control this situation. If an adult lights up a cig and the minor objects - at this time the driver has the legal right to say no and continue smoking. Either way a can of worms -

[WEGRuth]

it's sad when laws like this have to be passed. People should just naturally protect the young from this kind of stuff.

[Sheri Santiago]

Anything that puts the child's health at risk should be infractions, after all we know about the damaging effects of cigarettes you'd have to be extremely selfish to smoke with kids in the car. imo

I agree 100%

[Relentless]

You can not legislate common sense. Not smoking in a car with a minor doesn't mean the same person won't be home at night blowing smoke in their kid's face while reading them a bedtime story.

The way to handle it is to raise the tax on cigarettes and alcohol high enough that they become luxury items. Nobody gets drunk on $10,000 bottles of wine, they sip it and savor it because it is a luxury item. If cigarettes were $100 a pack people would not "waste them" by smoking them alone in a car or in a car with their kid.

The government would be well advised to socially engineer society by making things expensive rather than illegal in most cases.

[latinafind]

I think it should be up to the parent/driver - if they are a parent or taking care of the kids they should know not to smoke with them there already.

[lulu]

tough law, in the privacy of your car... if so much money is being spent on educating people and is also targetted to teens for them not to smoke, then i it makes sense. its just so "big brother" is watching you.

[Rochard]

How does Dennis Leary say it? "Soon you will only be able to smoke in your bedrooms, under the bed, with the curtains closed".

WTF?

Keeping in mind that I've just quit smoking and I'm having SERIOUS withdrawals this morning.....

We've pretty much banned smoking everywhere in the world. Is smoking bad? Yes, but so is drinking - not to mention the amount of crap our cars already spew out into the fresh air.

We can't protect ourselves from ourselves already.

[Trixxxia]

As a smoker myself - with kids who had childhood asthma, I have to say that I do agree. I was also childhood asthmatic and to be quite frank, I started smoking because smoking myself, actually disturbed me less than secondhand smoke. Strange I know - but it's the truth.

Anyhow - I won't say I've never smoked in the car with my kids in it - I am guilty of this too, but I limit that to long trips. Most of the small trips I do, I do without the kids so basically, I'm not subjecting them to smoke often. **we smoke outside or in a totally different part of the house where the kids never go**

[gabrio]

It's about to become an infraction (in California) to do this if someone under the age of 18 is present.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071011/ap_on_re_us/schwarzenegger_bills

I'm not sure what to think about this. Smoking cigarettes is a legal activity, but I do agree that every effort should be made (by smokers) to keep cigarette smoke away from minors, and hopefully prevent them from becoming smokers themselves. So I have to say, that I reluctantly agree with these kinds of infractions.

Thoughts?

well, first of all i think that smoking is bad for your health and who smokes is doing a very stupid thing (my parents in first place, bigtime smokers, always HATED that) and i think that it just takes some common sense not to smoke in a car where you have minors, since they could be damaged much more in breathing that shit i believe so the question maybe is this.....do they had to make such a law because people do not have enough brain not to smoke when they have a kid in their cars?

think about it.

[gunner]

It's about to become an infraction (in California) to do this if someone under the age of 18 is present.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071011/ap_on_re_us/schwarzenegger_bills

I'm not sure what to think about this. Smoking cigarettes is a legal activity, but I do agree that every effort should be made (by smokers) to keep cigarette smoke away from minors, and hopefully prevent them from becoming smokers themselves. So I have to say, that I reluctantly agree with these kinds of infractions.

Thoughts?

I'm inclined to disagree.
I'm a non-smoker and I obviously, as any rational and compassionate individual would, feel kids should be protected from smoking. However, smoking is already illegal indoors in CA. If you let government tell you it's illegal to smoke in your car w/kids present, how long before they tell you it's illegal to watch porn on your home computer if you have children in the house?

[qwebecexpo]

I am against smoking, especially with kids in the car. but at some point, infractions is somewhat abusive... IMHO

[Trixxxia]

If you let government tell you it's illegal to smoke in your car w/kids present, how long before they tell you it's illegal to watch porn on your home computer if you have children in the house?

Good point Gunner!! I mean - I agree we should avoid smoking in cars with kids but yeah, letting government decide this is giving them too much power.

[GoodChris]

It's a waste of time. Just make smoking illegal alltogether. Shut down tobacco completely.

If you really want to look at it, why not make getting drunk in front of your kids illegal as well. It may not get into their physical bodies while you do it in front of them but many a child has been mentally fucked up by alcoholic parents.

While you're at it, ban sugar too.

Fuck it, sex is also overrated, close that puppy down as well.

All that will end up happening is that we'll teach our kids to disobey the law from a ripe young age... "Junior, Duck, theres a cop coming, can't let him see you in the car"

[SFS]

Its common sense. it shouldnt have to be a law if we had more responsible parenting out there...

I dont blame the kids, i dont blame the schools.. I blame the parents for not educating their kids about things, just the way my parents spoke to me.

JMHO

[GinaCochina]

I can't believe this is even an issue. It's so sad that people don't just do this automatically and that they have to be forced.

[J$TYLE$]

I've been a smoker for many years. Right before my son was born i quit and didn't smoke for 10 months and then started again! :(

Smoking sucks. I don't smoke around my kids or in my house.

For health reasons I support anything that keeps smoking away from kids. I cringe when i see someone in their car with the windows rolled up and a small child in there.

[Mister E]

Here's my dilemma.

On one hand I feel human breeding should be licensed. You need a license to own a dog but not a kid. They need to take courses to drive a car but any idiot with a hard on can knock up a woman.

The so called 'sanctity of the family' seems to fall under a cultural-religious-conservative umbrella that gives rights to potential tyrants. People who have no power love to exert force on the weak and innocent.

Let's take care of physical and psychological child abuse and punish evil sodomites who commit incest. We all know this affects more kids than second hand smoke!

Then maybe we can tolerate a government who pretends to care about kids being near cigarettes.

Fascists, we elect them and then we piss and moan.

[Dare69]

It´s good. And smoking let loose the conrol and reception while driving. In my coutnry can´t ring up but you can smoke, drink....It´s not moderate

[Funbrunette]

I have ZERO respect for people who smoke with their children in a vehicle. Smoking is a CHOICE these kids have no say and that's WRONG! Bottom line.