A hazy ban

Monroe County Commissioners extended the county’s anti-smoking ban last week to include motor vehicles carrying children 13 or younger. The violation now carries a $100 fine.

But what looks like a great protector for children against secondhand smoke is unlikely to do any real service. First of all, police officers will “not be able to stop a vehicle for the sole purpose of determining whether a violation exists.” Therefore, it seems likely that the ban can only be enforced if a vehicle is stopped for another violation, as it will be difficult for officers to determine whether or not someone is smoking in a passing car.

The other flaw in the ordinance is that it does not apply to Bloomington city limits, pending consideration by the Bloomington City Council. Bloomington makes up a large portion of Monroe County’s population, so excluding it from the ban leaves us wondering who exactly remains to be subject to it.

We absolutely believe that children should not be exposed to secondhand smoke if at all possible. Indeed, a car is probably one of the worst places to have smoke circulating in the air. But this ban seems unlikely to have any effect on how frequently this happens in our community.

First of all, the Bloomington City Council needs to draft legislation on this issue along with the rest of the county. And secondly, they need to draft legislation that is enforceable.