Smoking in the car with children

[Tara07]

This is the biggest pet peeve of mine. My mom used to smoke in the car with me when I was younger and I never understood why! I always hated it because I stunk like smoke and it made me cough a lot. Now as an adult it really bothers me. This morning I saw a woman in her car just puffing away and both of her windows were rolled up and I the carseat of a child was right in the middle of her smoke path. I would have had to guess that she had the air conditioning on. How do you feel about this?? It just drives me crazy. Please give your imput.

Thanks

[CarolinaGirl]

I hate it!!! No offense to smokers out there, but forcing someone to breathe cigarette smoke is an invasion of their sensory space. It is especially harmful to small children with developing lungs. Luckily, as an adult, I can remove myself from the situation, but a small child cannot, and I've seen more than enough children suffer from asthma as a result of inhaling second hand smoke.
Selfish!

[artist]

As a smoker I would NEVER do this! Most smokers I know agree. In fact, I go out of my way to not smoke around non-smokers unless they INSIST they really don't mind.

Also, even if it's twenty below zero, all smokers I know would definitely roll the windows down!

[Happy1]

My friends who smoke (I don't) are what I like to call "considerate smokers". They do their best to make sure they don't expose their children to cigarette smoke and even when they're around other adults they typically pay attention to where the smoke is blowing so they aren't blowing it right in your face. That type of thing I don't have a problem with. I agree that smoking in a car with children with the windows rolled up is really unfair to the child. At least roll the window down and let the smoke go out that way.

Nikki

[cr8zyforaf]

Hate it...hate it..just hate it. My MIL is a smoker and I cannot stand even taking DD over to her house - it just stinks - we smell like we've been sitting in a bar all night after we leave there even though she doesn't smoke in the house when we are there.

And her car - no way is DD even allowed to ride in it- it is just gross even if she isn't smoking when she is with DD, the smell is always there. I even get annoyed when she smokes outside at my house and then comes back in the house and sits on my furniture.

Exposing innocent children to second hand smoke in any situation (house, car, etc) is just wrong IMO.

[Chelsea524]

Oh I hate this. My ex-bff is a smoker and even throughout her entire pregnancy smoked, thats one of the things that drifted us apart, I really had a problem with that. She now has a 4 yr old who has asthma and still smokes in the car with him and in her house. I just don't understand how someone could do that, and I am even a former smoker.

[MLA]

I can't imagine that anyone's going to come into this thread and defend smoking in the car with a child -- especially with all the windows rolled up. It's a terrible thing to do.

[jesseybell]

It is absolutely horrible...and I smoke "part-time" - ie in the evenings after DD goes to bed. I hate to even be around her even smelling like smoke. There has been studies that show going outside to have a cigarette and then coming inside isn't good for kids either. I definitely think that it should be illegal to smoke in the car with children in the car. My ex-BF had asmtha and he knows part of it was from being stuck in the car with his mom smoking.

[coquelicot]

I remember how much it used to choke me up when my dad did that. Even with the window rolled down during nicer weather, the smoke had a way of blowing into the back seat and into my breathing path. It wasn't terribly surprising when I was diagnosed with slight asthma a couple of years ago.

That being said, I would not ever subject any future child of mine to this. Luckily, the closest family to us doesn't smoke (anymore), so hopefully it won't be an issue.

[Tara07]

I also think that is where my asthma came from too. Because they blamed it on excercise. That is BS!!! My mom has smoked all of my life and has smoked in the house where I lived. I hated it, but I just think it is completely wrong to smoke in car with a child in there. Man I would like to just strangle that person this morning.