The Ontario government has recently passed a long awaited ban on smoking while driving with children under 16, following widely publicized discussions regarding the risk second hand smoke presents to children in enclosed areas. While the law is reasonable, slapping fines of about $250 per offense, there is still the question of how it will be enforced. From the Canadian Press:

The province will launch a campaign to better educate the public about the dangers of smoking in vehicles with children, but hasn’t yet determined how much it will spend, Best said.

“We expect the budget will not be a big budget because we expect that there’s going to be a very high percentage of compliance with this piece of legislation,” she said.

But police will be expected to enforce the law once it takes effect, which will only make their jobs more onerous, said Opposition Leader Bob Runciman.

“There will probably be very little enforcement of this, in terms of checking cars and that sort of thing,” he said. “So I think education would be a critical part of this. It has to be.”

Ontario Provincial Police have said the ban won’t be difficult to enforce, as it already inspects for seatbelts and child car seats.

The Health Ministry’s website has more information on the new measures:

  • Under the proposed law, any person – driver or passenger – in the motor vehicle, who is smoking while someone else under the age of 16 is present, would be committing an offence.
  • The proposed law would apply to both moving and stationary vehicles, and would apply to motor vehicles, regardless of whether any window, sunroof, rooftop, door, or other feature of the vehicle is open.
  • If the Smoke-Free Ontario Amendment Act, 2008 is passed, every person who fails to comply with the proposed prohibition would be guilty of an offence and subject to a set fine of $250.
  • Nova Scotia, Yukon, Arkansas, California, Maine, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, South Australia and Tasmania have already banned smoking in motor vehicles with kids.

What are your thoughts on the smoking ban? Is the age of 16 too low of a benchmark or too high? As a taxpayer, what resources would you approve of that would help police enforce this law?