Countries initiate aggressive campaign to prohibit smoking in vehicles
North Rhine-Westphalia Proposes Smoking Ban in Cars with Children or Pregnant Women
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, has taken a step towards protecting the health of children and pregnant women by proposing a bill for a smoking ban in cars when minors or pregnant women are present. The bill, planned to be introduced to the Bundesrat on September 26, 2025, is a joint initiative by North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony.
Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) of North Rhine-Westphalia stated that it is irresponsible for people to smoke in the presence of children or pregnant women in cars. The bill is part of a broader effort to protect non-smokers from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
The proposal aims to address the risk of passive smoking, which can cause damage to the lungs, increased cancer risk, and growth disorders in minors and unborn children. According to the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, approximately one million minors in Germany are currently exposed to tobacco smoke in cars.
The bill was previously reported by the "Rheinische Post". It is based on the expectation that smoking in cars in the presence of others would not be voluntarily avoided. In closed spaces, such as cars, minors and unborn children are more exposed to passive smoking due to the high concentration of tobacco smoke pollution.
The draft states that tobacco smoke pollution in a car's passenger compartment can reach several times that of a heavily smoked public place within a few minutes of smoking a single cigarette. This high level of exposure is a significant concern, as passive smoking increases the risk of cancer for minors, including an increased likelihood of developing liver tumors or leukemia.
The Bundesrat is the next step in the process if the North Rhine-Westphalia's bill for a smoking ban in cars is approved. If passed, the bill would then move to the Bundestag, the final step in the process for any changes to the non-smoker protection law.
Over the years, multiple initiatives by the federal states have aimed to expand the non-smoker protection law. The Bundesrat has been considering expanding the law for years, with the most recent decision to submit a corresponding bill to the Bundestag happening in March 2022.
The state has a special protective duty towards those who cannot protect themselves from the dangers of passive smoking. The smoking ban in cars when children or pregnant women are present is aimed at protecting those who cannot protect themselves from the harmful effects of passive smoking.
A similar bill was proposed by the ministry of the then health minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) in the summer of 2023, but the law change did not come about due to the change of government in the last legislative period. With the new proposal, North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony are hoping to make a significant step towards protecting the health of children and pregnant women in cars.
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