Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
New Law Would Fine You for Smoking in Car with Child
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 1, 2010
Modified Jul 1, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 1, 2010
Modified Jul 1, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
If Governor Paterson signs a new law expected to pass the Senate today, it could cost you $100 to light up a Lady Carlton while driving Junior to his tether-ball tournament. (Actually, make that $111, because the new cigarette tax went into effect today, too!) Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, a Democrat from Queens, is sponsoring a bill that would make it illegal for occupants of a car to smoke if there's anyone younger than 14 in the car. Even if they're in the way-way back!
"A child gets in the car where mommy or daddy or Aunt Nancy are smoking and doesn’t have the option of leaving," Stavisky tells City Room. Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn, a Democrat from Flushing, sponsored the bill in the Assembly, where it passed last week. The original bill would have carried the possibility of jail time and a maximum $500 fine, but Mayersohn says the punishment was scaled back to make it an "educational bill more than a punitive bill. We just want to give the kids a voice."
But what about grownups who are stuck with smoking children? Won't someone think of the adults?
Tagged
Albany
second hand smoke
smoking
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
New Yorkers are paying $300 million for natural gas they don't even use
A new study found that nearly 2% of the city's natural gas is leaking into the air and causing climate pollution.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Eric Adams did not convince a Wisconsin town to build a data center
Because the vote against it was unanimous, here are your early links: Jacket weather, swishing your Guinness, spooky decorations in North Jersey and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Eric Adams did not convince a Wisconsin town to build a data center
Because the vote against it was unanimous, here are your early links: Jacket weather, swishing your Guinness, spooky decorations in North Jersey and more.
By
James Ramsay
Hit-and-run driver arrested trying to flee to Uzbekistan after deadly crash, NYPD says
By
Brittany Kriegstein
NY measles outbreak more widespread than official count, health officials say
By
Caroline Lewis
A NYC judge brought his gun into court for an ‘experiment’. Now he’s censured.
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .