Consumer Law

Should Parents Be Punished For Smoking While Their Kids Are In The Car?

By Brian Wolfman

The New York Times reports today that

Under a City Council proposal, New York City would prohibit smoking in cars where children are riding, joining the ranks of Arkansas, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Bangor, Me., and Rockland County, N.Y., where similar legislation has been passed. The proposal, which Councilman James F. Gennaro, a Queens Democrat, plans to formally announce on Thursday, would prohibit smoking in cars where a child under 18 is present. Fines would range from $200 to $2,000, depending on the number of violations. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who pushed through a ban on indoor smoking in 2003, and his administration have not said whether they will support the proposal.

And the Consumerist notes that the New York legislature will be considering similar legislation:

I've never smoked a cigarette in my life, but I sure inhaled my fair share of my mom's, dad's and stepfather's tobacco when I was a child. Surely one of my earliest developed motor skills was learning how to roll down the window in our Chevy Nova. Now a bill under consideration by the New York State Assembly seeks to put an end to such behavior by fining adults who light up with a child in the vehicle.

Full post as published by CL&P Blog on July 02, 2010 (boomark / email).