Smoking ban in vehicles fails
California's state assembly last week rejected a law that would have banned smoking in cars carrying young children. The law, which recognized the health risks of being exposed to secondhand smoke - particularly in an enclosed vehicle - would have authorized fines of up to $116 for smoking while carrying an occupant required to use a child safety seat. The requirement applies to children under six years old or weighing less than 60 pounds. The bill received 36 votes from the 80-member assembly. Fourteen members chose to not vote, while several of those who voted against the law pointed out that they could not support it due to privacy issues and that it dealt with private property. Advocates said that such an argument wouldn't apply, as the law would have been a public safety measure applying to vehicles traveling on public roads, not unlike those for seatbelts. Had the law passed, California would have been the first state to enforce such a law applying to vehicles. The state set a precedent in 1994 with a law that phased in a ban of smoking in virtually all public places, including restaurants and bars.



I would never smoke in a vette!

But then I do not smoke