Drivers should think twice about sparking up

It will now cost drivers at least $125 if they opt to spark up a smoke in their vehicle while anyone under the age of 16 is present.

Amendments to the Smoke Free Ontario Act took effect Wednesday making it illegal to smoke and/or hold lighted tobacco in motor vehicles where children under 16 are present. Unlike other portions of the act that are administered by the health unit this portion of the law will be enforced by police officers.

Sergeant Noel Coulas with the North Bay Police Service says officers have been educated on the new legislation and are looking for voluntary compliance from the public. He notes during the initial phase of the changes they will work with the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit to educate drivers.

“They may speak to them about the various information that’s available through our local health unit … through speaking with the person … it all depends officers always have that discretion at the roadside.”

“The purpose is voluntary compliance, we don’t people smoking in the vehicle for obvious reasons so we would like people to voluntarily comply. But there are cases when people will choose not to comply and then the officers again have that discretion.”

“Watching for drivers who are smoking is going to be no different than our officers patrolling streets and looking for those who don’t wear their seatbelt,” he tells reporters.

The new law applies to both moving and stationary motor vehicles and applies regardless of whether any window, sunroof, rooftop, door or other vehicle feature is open.

Project manager for the Tobacco Control Unit Tom Zinc says the move is a huge step forward in protecting our children’s health.

“The public health theme of it is protecting children’s health,” explains Zinc.

“Because children, young children and infants they breathe a lot faster than adults do so whatever toxins are in the air they just take in more of them and their lungs are smaller so it is just more concentrated.”

Zinc says the Ontario Medical Association’s study found concentration of tobacco smoke in a vehicle was 27 times than that found in a smoker’s home.

“So it’s really dangerous,” he states.

“What I compare it to is the law about child safety restraints in the car it is just protecting their safety and this is protecting their health.”

“Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke whether it is at home or in the car (smoke) it is linked with asthma, ear infections, respiratory tract infections, and sudden infant death syndrome just a lot of different health related issues.”

Zink says it is good news to have the vehicle law in place but wasn’t prepared to tackle the idea of laws prohibiting smoking in homes with children.

“I wouldn’t want to venture a guess or envision what could be coming in the future,” he says.

“I mean some things take years to happen and develop … as I say a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have seen this coming.”