Smoking in cars

Smoking in cars is generally seen as a bad thing to do. Especially if there are children in, but there are groups, and governments, who seem to go overboard with the principle with, among other things

• Banning smoking in open topped cars
• Claiming near-industrial-pollution type levels of smoke occurring in cars where people do smoke
• Claiming that smoking causes accidents

Connecticut - Feb 2013

Plans to ban smoking in cars with children 7 years or younger because

They point to studies that show children who spend an hour in a smoky car breathe in as much smoke as if they'd smoked 10 cigarettes. Justin Kvadas, 16, has been calling for this since he was in fifth grade [10 or 11].

Now, unless someone has been smoking 10 cigarettes in that hour in the car, how can the smoke in there be the equivalent of that many cigarettes? Is the window open? Has the car been travelling? Car's AC on?

Someone is plucking numbers from their rear again.

And why only 7 year olds? Why not 8 year olds? 18 year olds? 28 year olds? Or are we going to get into that whole messy Age of majority thing...

"If you can't drink or eat or talk on a cell phone while driving," he [Justin Kvadas] questioned, "how come you can still smoke and drive?"

Perhaps, Justin, the motor skills and brain power required to consume food or have a conversation far exceed those required to consume a cigarette. The latter, clearly on a par with your reasoning skills of course.

Of course, since you aren't old enough to vote, you most certainly aren't old enough to demand that adults stop doing things simply because you don't like them. Especially if you can't justify your dislike in terms other than "I don't think it should happen."

"People generally believe just cracking your windows relieves the pollutants and dangerous levels of toxins in an automobile and that's not true."

It appears that physics doesn't apply to cigarette smoke.