Legislation to Stop Smoking in Cars

There is legislation in many communities to ban smoking in cars, when there are children in the vehicle. The intent is to prevent children from being exposed to second hand smoke. The town of Wolfville, in Nova Scotia, is one such community:

“A small Nova Scotia town on Monday became the first Canadian municipality to ban smoking in vehicles when a child is present.

All seven councillors in Wolfville, a town of 3,600 located about 70 kilometres northwest of Halifax, voted in favour of the measure.”

link: N.S. town bans smoking in cars carrying children

The question is ‘how will this law ever be enforced?’ Will the authorities be taking surveillance photos to determine that a person is smoking in a car with a child present? What happens if the window is rolled down and the cigarette tossed? There are those who see this legislation as another privacy right being eroded. And there are concerns that such legislation will be extended into the home.

There is almost universal agreement that smoking and second hand smoke are harmful. The intent of the legislation is well intended but it raises questions about enforcement and civil liberties. It remains difficult to legislate common sense.

Catherine Forsythe

[tag]smoking, cars, children, safety, legislation, enforcement, privacy[/tag]