B.C. sets $109 fine for people smoking in cars with kids under 16
 

VICTORIA, B.C. - B.C. drivers who smoke with kids in the car will face a $109 fine under new provincial regulations that take effect next month.

Starting April 7, police will have the authority to stop any vehicle if they suspect someone is smoking in the presence of a child under the age of 16.

Healthy Living Minister Mary Polak and Public Safety Minister John van Dongen announced the fines Wednesday, saying the aim is to protect vulnerable children who are confined in a vehicle with an adult.

"Any level of second-hand smoke has harmful effects on a child's health," Polak said in a statement.

The new measure was passed by the legislature a year ago.

Barbara Kaminsky of the Canadian Cancer Society said the dangers of second-hand smoke are heightened in the enclosed space of a vehicle, where children have no choice but to breathe the smoke.

Van Dongen warned that people who don't pay the fine won't be able to renew their insurance or driver's licence.

British Columbia joins Nova Scotia, Ontario and the Yukon in banning smoking in cars where children under 16 are present. New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have said they will enact similar bans.

In Ontario, drivers caught smoking in a vehicle with a minor present face fines up to $255 since the law took effect in January.
THE CANADIAN PRESS

So with all the homicides going on in Vancouver these days, how high do you think ticketing someone for smoking in a car with a minor in it is on the list of the police priorities?

As high as issuing tickets to cyclists w/o helmets.

I've dodged three of those, and received one of them. Thank god I don't smoke.

LOl, your driving at 16 and smoking at the same time.:haha:

Yeah well the cyclists on the road in Victoria THINK they're cars, so I don't blame the police here for going after them.

On the subject of smoking...
has anyone seen any cyclist smoke? like when riding their bike?
That would be hilarious!:thumbsup:

i fucking hate cyclist !!!
its already annoying if they ride on the street, not to mention they dont obey any rules on the streets !! ex... ignore the traffic light or hand signal

That's bs, i should be able to smoke inside my own property with my own kids, infants or not

Why would you though, do you not give a shit about your own childs health?

I'll have a smoke or two on long bike rides. Of course, I don't go very fast anyways. :D

This is the thing that many people forget: Children are not property, children are a responsibility. Big difference

If more parents realized this, there'd be less street kids and generally fucked up people.

its under the age of 16..


this is a total waste of time for cops while they can do something more useful.

what if the kid under 16 is smoking WITH the parent in the vehicle? lol..

lets hope that a bunch of tourists for 2010 get nailed with these tickets :D

Vancouver: the great gathering of douchecunts in the world

Cheaper than the most basic speeding ticket and no points. Wow.

This fine should be up there.

What a useless law.

judging from this article http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/04/smo...03smoking.html

The American tourists should be the ones getting the most fines.:D

you can go do that at home on your private property. you do not own the roads the car is on. and driving isn't a right. it's a privilege.

Just another way they can get your money.
my 2 cents

I got hasseled more in Duncan, that's where I got my ticket.

I wear my lid on the roads in Vic, as bad as my fellow riders are, the drivers in this town are WAY worse. I fear them.

Perhaps, but then again, if you dont want to pay up, dont endanger your childrens health. Wait the 15 minutes until you get where you are going to light up.

I can't believe society has come to having to legislate common sense.

.

Smoking in the car is just plain nasty.
The smell will never go away.

That's only the case if you smoke with the windows up and use the ash tray.