NORFOLK - A doctor/legislator says it should be illegal for smokers to light up in a vehicle with children.
State Sen. Ralph Northam (D-6th District) is a neurologist at CHKD in Norfolk. He says he was moved to sponsor the no car smoking bill after a third graders complained about his mother's smoking.
Senate Bill 1106 calls for a $100 fine and officers couldn't stop drivers "for the sole purpose of determining whether the driver is in violation."
Doctors say second-hand smoke is a serious health risk and even moreso inside a closed vehicle.
Researchers with Harvard University released a study that shows secondhand smoke in vehicles is hazardous to children, even with the window slightly rolled down.
The proposal has some people asking whether it crosses the line of privacy versus government control.
Four states already have outlawed the practice, inclulding Arkansas and California.
Sen. Northam was behind the 2008 effort to ban smoking in all Virginia bars and restaurants.
