STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. — Get caught smoking with children in your car and face a fine. Officials in Stockbridge in Henry County say they're the first city in Georgia to make the rule.
"I believe that's an infringement on their lives when irresponsible parents or adults are smoking in cars with minors,” Councilman John Blount said.
Blount is cheering the new ordinance.
Drivers can now be fined up to $500 if caught smoking in a vehicle in the presence of a child under the age of 15.
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Several states already have similar laws.
Enforcement will fall in the lap of the city’s code enforcement officers and Henry County Police.
The city attorney says police can choose whether or not to execute Stockbridge ordinances.
"It's going to be enforced like you enforce any other laws like seatbelts and driving with cellphones. If you see it being abused, you've got a smoke-filled car and a child is in the back seat, what's the downside other than having a healthy child?” Blount said.
Blount expects there will be an attempt to pass a state law on this during the current session of the Georgia General Assembly.
Cox Media Group
