Survey Finds 82% of Adults Support Banning Smoking in Cars With Children

A new survey finds 82 percent of American adults say they support a ban on smoking in cars that are carrying children younger than 13.

The survey by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital found 87 percent of adults support banning smoking in businesses that allow children, while 75 percent would like to see a ban on smoking in homes with children who have asthma or other lung diseases.

HealthDay reports that 60 percent of current smokers support the ban on smoking in cars with children, compared with 87 percent of people who never smoked, and 84 percent of former smokers. Currently seven states ban smoking in cars that carry children—Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Maine, Illinois, Oregon and Utah, the article notes. Hawaii, Indiana, New Jersey and New York have cities or counties with such laws.

“Smoke is a real health hazard for kids whose lungs are still developing, and especially for kids who have illnesses like asthma where the lungs are particularly fragile and flare up when exposed to secondhand smoke,” Poll Director Dr. Matthew Davis said in a news release. “Given the high level of public support for laws prohibiting smoking in vehicles with children in this poll, it may be that the bans enacted by a small number of states should be considered by many more states, and perhaps at the national level.”