Baldacci signs bill banning smoking in cars with children present
AUGUSTA, Maine—Saying that children don't get to decide whether they have to sit in a smoke-filled car, Gov. John Baldacci signed a bill Thursday that will make Maine the latest state to ban smoking in cars in which children are present.
Maine's new law, which gained momentum after the governor's hometown of Bangor passed an even tougher ordinance, will outlaw smoking in cars in which youths under 16 are present. The law authorizes $50 fines, but only after the first year. Violators will get warnings in the meantime.
"Tobacco use costs too many lives and too much money," said Baldacci, who was surrounded by supporters as he signed the bill in his State House office.
Especially at risk are children, who don't have the choice of whether or not to be exposed to dangerous secondhand smoke, Baldacci said.
The Maine Children's Alliance, American Lung Association, Maine Medical Association and Health Policy Partners of Maine all applauded enactment of the bill. The lung association's Ed Miller said the new law puts Maine in a leadership role in protecting children from secondhand smoke.
The law is modeled after an ordinance in Bangor, which bars smoking in cars when youths 18 and younger are present. California motorists can be hit with fines of up to $100 for smoking in a vehicle if a child is present. Arkansas and Louisiana have passed similar laws, as has the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. A number of other states and provinces are also looking at the idea.
Supporters of Maine's legislation cited a national survey of youth activity patterns showing that children spend about an hour a day in a vehicle. They said children are exposed to secondhand smoke in dangerously elevated levels in enclosed areas such as a car.
Maine, like several other states, has enacted bans on smoking in bars, restaurants and many other public places. Maine outlaws sales of tobacco products to youths under 18.
A 2006 Surgeon General's report notes that exposure to secondhand smoke by children has not declined as rapidly as that of adults, said Becky Smith of Health Policy Partners, a coalition of health groups.
"Banning smoking in cars carrying children will help make a dent in that exposure," said Smith.
Maine's law will take effect 90 days after this spring's legislative session ends.
