Smoking in cars soon to be banned in Germany
Some countries in Europe already have it, now it is to be introduced in Germany as well: A ban on smoking behind the wheel of a car. Because nowhere is the smoke concentration for passive smokers as high as in a closed vehicle.
Smokers in Austria, Greece, Great Britain and France already know it: smoking in vehicles is regulated by law. This is due to the high smoke concentration, which even exceeds that in a smoky bar. In Milan, even smoking on the street is prohibited if anyone is closer than ten metres away. Whether outside or inside, the smoke is harmful to smokers and passive smokers alike. But it is particularly harmful for people who ride in cars and are pregnant or underage. These groups are now to be better protected in Germany. The intention was to introduce a regulation on a voluntary basis as early as 2019. Obviously, however, this did not bear fruit, so that the north-western German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia have introduced a new initiative in the Bundestag. The Federal Non-Smoker Protection Act (BNichtrSchG) is to be amended: smoking in the presence of pregnant women or minors is to be prohibited and fined between 500 and 3000 euros.
According to estimates by the German Cancer Research Centre (dkfz), up to one million minors are exposed to cigarette smoke in the vehicle cabin. The Bundesrat argues that 166,000 children die annually from the consequences of passive smoking. The Bundesrat has now decided on 11 March 2022 to submit a law to the Bundestag banning smoking in cars. This ban on smoking in the presence of pregnant women and minors is to apply even if the windows or sunroof of the vehicle are open. Only in convertibles should puffing continue to be possible without restriction, regardless of who else is in the vehicle. It is now up to the Bundestag to decide on an amendment to the Non-Smoker Protection Act.
In view of the many environmental zones in the cities, which are supposed to limit pollutant emissions, a ban on smoking in cars would only be consistent. At least for children and pregnant women, a regulation is needed here so that the pollution inside is actually not higher than outside, where air pollution is already successfully combated by law.