Smoking bans in private vehicles
Encyclopedia
Smoking ban
s in private vehicles exist to protect passengers from secondhand smoke and to increase traffic security, e.g. by preventing the driver from being distracted by the act of smoking
. Private vehicles are used by individuals for personal transportation; smoking ban
s in private vehicles are less common than bans extended to public transport
or vehicles used during work, like truck
s or police car
s.
s can considerably distract the driver. A burning cigarette or marijuana joint that has fallen into the driver's lap might lead to panic-like reactions. Cigarette stubs thrown out of a window pose a serious fire threat. Some serious traffic accidents in Germany
are known to have been caused by a lit cigarette.
Some German tribunals have commented on the imprudence of smoking while driving. Smoking may be compared to using a cell phone while driving, which is also banned in some jurisdictions.
. Some laws stipulate that such a ban applies only when a passenger is under a certain age.
s or bushfires. A southern France
firefighters' department statistic attributes 16% of local bushfires to cigarette litter thrown out of moving vehicles (and 13.8% to cigarette litter from pedestrians).
, a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 16 will come into force from 1 May 2012. An on the spot fine of 250 Australian dollars will be applicable, or court fines up to 5,500 Australian dollars.
In New South Wales
a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 16 exists since July 2009. There is an on the spot fine of 250 Australain dollars for drivers or passengers, with a maximum fine of 1,100 Australian dollars if disputed.
In Queensland
a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 16 is in force since January 2010. There is an on the spot fine of 200 Australian dollars.
In South Australia
a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 16 exists since May 2007. Fines range from 75 to 200 Australian dollars.
In Tasmania
, as of 1 January 2008, smoking in cars with passengers under the age of 18 is banned and incurs a 110 Australian dollar on the spot fine.
In Victoria
a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 18 has entered in force on 1 January 2010.
In Western Australia
a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 16 will enter in force in 2010.
, Newfoundland and Labrador
(starting 31st May 2011), Manitoba
, Ontario
, New Brunswick
, Prince Edward Island
, Saskatchewan
and Yukon Territory. Smoking is banned in vehicles with persons under the age of 19 present in Nova Scotia
.
, California
, Hawaii
, Louisiana
, Maine
and Oregon
as well as Puerto Rico
. Several other states, counties and towns are discussing similar regulations.
.
(Taiwan
) plans to ban smoking while driving a car, riding a bike or walking an a sidewalk. The rationale is concern about traffic security and air pollution
.
Smoking ban
Smoking bans are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, which prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and/or other public spaces...
s in private vehicles exist to protect passengers from secondhand smoke and to increase traffic security, e.g. by preventing the driver from being distracted by the act of smoking
Smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
. Private vehicles are used by individuals for personal transportation; smoking ban
Smoking ban
Smoking bans are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, which prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and/or other public spaces...
s in private vehicles are less common than bans extended to public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
or vehicles used during work, like truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s or police car
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
s.
Traffic security
The acts of looking for, reaching for, and then lighting cigaretteCigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s can considerably distract the driver. A burning cigarette or marijuana joint that has fallen into the driver's lap might lead to panic-like reactions. Cigarette stubs thrown out of a window pose a serious fire threat. Some serious traffic accidents in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
are known to have been caused by a lit cigarette.
Some German tribunals have commented on the imprudence of smoking while driving. Smoking may be compared to using a cell phone while driving, which is also banned in some jurisdictions.
Protection from secondhand smoke
More recently, the dangers of secondhand smoke have seen more attention, and smoking in a car (whether in motion or not) is banned in some jurisdictions as a measure against passive smokingPassive smoking
Passive smoking is the inhalation of smoke, called secondhand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke , from tobacco products used by others. It occurs when tobacco smoke permeates any environment, causing its inhalation by people within that environment. Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke causes...
. Some laws stipulate that such a ban applies only when a passenger is under a certain age.
Wildfires
Cigarettes or cigarette litter thrown out of the window of cars moving through a vegetated area (particularly during the hot season) is one of the causes of wildfireWildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s or bushfires. A southern France
Southern France
Southern France , colloquially known as le Midi is defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Gironde, Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy...
firefighters' department statistic attributes 16% of local bushfires to cigarette litter thrown out of moving vehicles (and 13.8% to cigarette litter from pedestrians).
Australia
In the Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 16 will come into force from 1 May 2012. An on the spot fine of 250 Australian dollars will be applicable, or court fines up to 5,500 Australian dollars.
In New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 16 exists since July 2009. There is an on the spot fine of 250 Australain dollars for drivers or passengers, with a maximum fine of 1,100 Australian dollars if disputed.
In Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 16 is in force since January 2010. There is an on the spot fine of 200 Australian dollars.
In South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 16 exists since May 2007. Fines range from 75 to 200 Australian dollars.
In Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, as of 1 January 2008, smoking in cars with passengers under the age of 18 is banned and incurs a 110 Australian dollar on the spot fine.
In Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 18 has entered in force on 1 January 2010.
In Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 16 will enter in force in 2010.
Bahrein
Since 13th April 2009, smoking in cars with accompanying children is banned in Bahrein.Canada
Smoking with anyone under the age of 16 present in a vehicle is currently banned in the Provinces of British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
(starting 31st May 2011), Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and Yukon Territory. Smoking is banned in vehicles with persons under the age of 19 present in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
South Africa
A law prohibiting smoking in private vehicles with minors under the age of 12 has been voted.United Arab Emirates
On Wednesday, 6 January 2010 a federal law (superseding the smoking bans which already existed in most of the emirates) was signed. Among other provisions, it introduces a Smoking ban in private vehicles in the presence of children under the age of 12.United States
A smoking ban in cars with children already exists in ArkansasArkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
as well as Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Several other states, counties and towns are discussing similar regulations.
Finland
Finland intends to ban smoking in cars while children are present. Furthermore, smoking in places where children are present is to be banned generally.Ireland
Irish anti-smoking campaigners and scientists are urging the government to introduce such a ban.. In July 2011 the Minister for Health revealed that he was considering a ban where children are present in the car.Italy
Italy plans to ban smoking while driving, fines are to be 250 euro and 5 points on the driving licence.Israel
In Israel the introduction of a smoking ban in cars is being discussed in the KnessetKnesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
.
Taiwan
The Republic of ChinaRepublic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
) plans to ban smoking while driving a car, riding a bike or walking an a sidewalk. The rationale is concern about traffic security and air pollution
Air pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
.