Nations initiate fresh campaign to enforce prohibition of smoking within automobiles
In a bid to protect the health of minors and unborn children, a renewed proposal to ban smoking in cars has been put forth by the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. This proposal, set to be discussed in the Bundestag following its submission to the Bundesrat on September 26, 2025, aims to curb the harmful effects of passive smoking.
The Bundesrat, Germany's upper house of parliament, has shown its support for this initiative, as it decided in March 2022 to introduce a corresponding bill in the Bundestag. If the Bundesrat approves the bill, it will then be the Bundestag's turn to consider it.
This is not the first time such an initiative has been proposed. For years, various federal states have been advocating for an expansion of the Non-Smoking Protection Act. A draft bill for the ban on smoking in cars was even presented in summer 2023 by the then health minister Karl Lauterbach's (SPD) office. However, the law change did not come about due to the end of the coalition government at the federal level in the last legislative period.
The rationale behind this proposed ban is clear. Studies have shown that minors whose parents smoke are at a higher risk of developing liver tumors or leukemia. In closed spaces, such as cars, minors and unborn children are more exposed to passive smoking. In fact, the tobacco smoke exposure in closed passenger compartments can reach a multiple of a heavily smoked pub within a few minutes of smoking a single cigarette.
Currently, approximately one million minors in Germany are exposed to tobacco smoke in cars. This proposed ban aims to safeguard the health and wellbeing of these young individuals, ensuring a healthier future for all.
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