4th and Long
07-25-2005, 03:03 PM
If you do, you may not be able to much longer. Here comes Big Brother again.
No Butts Behind The Wheel?
N.J. May Ban Drivers' Smoking
TRENTON, N.J. -- It's sometimes tough to find ashtrays in cars anymore.
Now, some New Jersey lawmakers want to make it illegal to light up while driving anyway. The proposal barring smoking behind the wheel faces long odds in the state legislature, but that hasn't stopped smokers from describing the proposal as a Big Brother intrusion. One Hackensack cigar smoker said politicians can tell him he can't smoke in his car when they start making his car payments.
The measure would fine drivers up to $250 if caught smoking cigars, pipes or cigarettes. Supporters said the ban is more about improving highway safety than protecting health because smoking is a distraction for drivers, much like cell phones.
New Jersey smokers are incensed over the proposed state law. Smokers complain the proposal is only a step away from banning smoking in the home.
Assembly members John McKeon and Lorretta Weinberg sponsored the bill , saying smoking is a dangerous distraction for drivers and others on the road.
New Jersey already has a year-old law against drivers using hand-held cell phones.
No Butts Behind The Wheel?
N.J. May Ban Drivers' Smoking
TRENTON, N.J. -- It's sometimes tough to find ashtrays in cars anymore.
Now, some New Jersey lawmakers want to make it illegal to light up while driving anyway. The proposal barring smoking behind the wheel faces long odds in the state legislature, but that hasn't stopped smokers from describing the proposal as a Big Brother intrusion. One Hackensack cigar smoker said politicians can tell him he can't smoke in his car when they start making his car payments.
The measure would fine drivers up to $250 if caught smoking cigars, pipes or cigarettes. Supporters said the ban is more about improving highway safety than protecting health because smoking is a distraction for drivers, much like cell phones.
New Jersey smokers are incensed over the proposed state law. Smokers complain the proposal is only a step away from banning smoking in the home.
Assembly members John McKeon and Lorretta Weinberg sponsored the bill , saying smoking is a dangerous distraction for drivers and others on the road.
New Jersey already has a year-old law against drivers using hand-held cell phones.