WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |Group says smoking with kids in car should be illegal
A Tennessee organization is looking to make it illegal to smoke in the car when young children are inside, whether the windows are down or not.
The Tennessee Medical Association, which represents 7,800 physicians statewide, is planning to make the issue a priority on its legislative agenda.
"You've got to look out for these children," TMA Senior Vice President Russ Miller told News 2. "No one else is looking out for them when you've got them strapped in a back seat and you're smoking like a stack in the front seat."
Miller said studies show children sharing a car with a smoker are exposed to levels of secondhand smoke that are unsafe, even for adults.
"We know the hazards are prevalent, we know the dangers that it causes," he continued. "Asthma is just the tip of the iceberg when you talk about health issues."
Miller said the idea behind the legislation is not to play "big brother", but to protect children who have no other choice but to inhale.
He told News 2, "We don't feel that passing laws is the best way to get things done, but sometimes, common sense doesn't prevail."
Under the proposed legislation, drivers could be fined if they are caught smoking with a child under the age of eight in the car.
A $25 fine is suggested for those who do not comply.
So far, state lawmakers and organizations dedicated to secondhand smoke prevention have declined to support the idea.
Four states have laws against smoking with children in the car.
