Car smoking ban is not 'nanny state'

I must respond to the letter writers who are upset with banning smoking in cars with children ["Nonsmoker wants to keep rights," March 12]. They seem to think that smoking is a right that is being violated.

Smoking, like driving, is not a right. It is a privilege and personal choice. Often, it is not a choice, but an addiction. There is no constitutional right to smoke.

The deadly effects of cigarette smoke are well documented. Smokers have the privilege to contaminate their own bodies. But children have the fundamental right to a safe and healthy environment, and when captive in a car, they should not be exposed to cigarette smoke against their will. Many smokers are irresponsible, and that is why the government feels the need to step in.

I am confident that we are not becoming a police state, and banning smoking in certain situations is not leading to the abolition of actual rights protected by the Constitution.

Susan Hermer, Commack