A ban on smoking in cars with children is being tested in the states of Arkansas (child <14), Louisiana (<13), Maine (<16), Oregon (<18), Puerto Rico (<13), Utah (<15), Vermont (<8) and Virginia (<8). But smokers aren`t the only ones at increased risk of death and disease from smoking. Most children are exposed to second-hand smoke in vehicles and at home. In 2006, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that eliminating indoor smoking is the only way to fully protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke.1 Separating people who smoke from those who do not smoke, purifying the air, and ventilating buildings are not effective protections against second-hand smoke.1 Vehicles can be a significant source of second-hand smoke exposure for children and non-smokers.1 7 By For example, a study of U.S. middle and high school students on second-hand smoke in vehicles found that in 2009, more than one-fifth of non-smoking students were exposed to second-hand smoke in vehicles.8 In Victoria, smoking has been prohibited in cars carrying minors under the age of 18 since January 1, 2010. [14]. Eight states (Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon and Rhode Island), American Samoa, the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit smoking in employers` private vehicles. Nineteen states, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit smoking in state vehicles.

In Queensland, smoking in cars with minors under the age of 16 has been banned since January 2010. Smoking-related offences are based on a unit price of $133.45, with offences calculated as multiples of the unit price. For the purposes of this section, “smoke” means the carrying or holding of burning pipes, cigars or cigarettes of any kind or other luminous smoking devices, or the lighting, inhalation or exhalation of smoke from a pipe, cigar or cigarette of any kind or other lighted smoking device. Since 13 April 2009, smoking has been banned in cars accompanied by children in Bahrain. [16] When someone smokes in the small enclosed space of a car or other vehicle, people breathe much higher toxic air than the EPA considers dangerous, even when a window is closed. In addition, tobacco smoke gases and particles absorb into a car`s upholstery and other surfaces — so-called third-hand smoke — and then return to the air over time, exposing passengers to toxins long after someone has smoked in the car. While smoking bans in homes and vehicles have traditionally been introduced primarily through voluntary household rules,6 some states have recently passed laws restricting smoking in private vehicles. State laws that restrict smoking in vehicles include laws that restrict smoking in work vehicles, vehicles used to transport child care, and personal vehicles in the presence of children or adolescents. As of December 2014, the Northern Territory is the last Australian jurisdiction to ban smoking in cars with minors under the age of 16. [9] Greece introduced fines of up to €3,000 in 2019 for smoking in a vehicle with a minor (a child under 12). [24] The Australian Capital Territory has banned smoking in cars with minors under the age of 16 since May 2012. A fine of A$150 will be imposed on individuals or A$750 on companies.

Court penalties may be higher. [6]. The ban covers cigarettes and personal vaporizers/e-cigarettes. “There is evidence that vehicles can also be a significant source of second-hand smoke for children. Children may be regularly exposed to second-hand smoke if their parents or other adults smoke in these vehicles while they are present. Second-hand smoke concentrations in vehicles in which smoking can reach very high levels. As of June 30, 2022, 27 states, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have restrictions on smoking in workplaces, daycares or personal vehicles. Although the U.S.

EPA, some state tobacco control programs, and a number of community organizations have conducted awareness campaigns encouraging parents to adopt voluntary household rules that make their homes smoke-free, until recently, few of these campaigns have promoted the introduction of similar rules in private vehicles.1 Just as state laws mandating seat belt use have helped. Changing public attitudes and practice on this issue, 14 laws banning smoking in vehicles when children are present may have the potential to change social norms. This is especially true when these measures – such as seat belt laws – are implemented in conjunction with public awareness campaigns. Studies have shown that public support for laws that make workplaces and public places smoke-free increases after people live under these laws, especially among those who smoke.10,15,16 Local and state governments have a responsibility to decide whether it is appropriate to address this problem through government action.

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