Another new twist on another proposed smoking ban is designed to snuff out smokers behind the wheel, but only in certain circumstances.

The proposed bill is not talking about all smoking in cars, only when young children are in the car with them.

The bill's sponsor said he is only fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves.

Anyone with a child under 8 years old knows to that to keep that child safe, you need a car seat, but one state legislator has proposed another way to protect children's health.

State Rep. Peter J. Daley of Washington and Fayette counties will introduce legislation that says if there is a child in a car seat in the car, that car should be smoke-free.

"We know that secondhand smoke is worse than firsthand smoke," said Daley. "The studies are all in, and we really want to protect the health of our children."

This is not a new idea for Daley. He introduced a similar bill in 1988, but critics killed the legislation before it got started. He said he expects better results this time around.

"I think the attitude today concerning smoking and smoking around children, secondhand smoke, I think there's more quantifiable knowledge about the effects on children and what it causes, the harm it causes the children with secondhand smoke," said Daley.

Daley argued that smoking in a car with a child, even with the windows down, is like smoking in a closet with a child. And while he admits it would be hard to enforce, he believes law enforcement must try.

The idea is not exclusive to Pennsylvania. Similar laws already exist in Louisiana and Arkansas, and similar measures are under consideration in California, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Maine.

Daley said he gives his bill a 50-50 shot of passing in Pennsylvania.

---

Related Links:
More County News

Get RSS | E-Mail Alerts

---