State senator introduces bill to ban smoking inside of cars with children
HARRISBURG (KDKA) - One of our state senators is pushing to ban smoking inside of cars when small children are riding along.
A bill proposed by State Senator Gene Yaw would ban smoking when kids under the age of 12 are in the car.
Doctors have told KDKA there's no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure with kids being particularly vulnerable.
"It's a tremendous number of kids who are impacted by secondhand smoke, something like 35-percent of kids," explained Dr. Jamie Garfield of the Temple Lung Center. "They cannot get out of the car, so sometimes they are forced to essentially have these high levels of secondhand smoke exposure."
First-time offenders will get a $100 fine, which would increase to $250 for a second offense.
