Final answer:
It is an infraction to smoke with passengers in the car younger than 18 years of age. This regulation aims to protect minors from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and aligns with broader smoking bans in public and enclosed spaces.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question relates to the regulations that restrict smoking in vehicles when passengers below a certain age are present. In the context of smoking regulations, it is an infraction to smoke with passengers in the car younger than 18 years of age. This law is in place to protect younger individuals from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, recognizing the government's obligation to safeguard public health, especially the health of minors.
Secondhand smoke has been identified as damaging to health, leading to various smoking bans in enclosed spaces and public places. The efforts to regulate smoking also extend to protecting children from the effects of smoking and vaping, as both are either illegal or highly regulated in every U.S. state. Under these regulations, people under the age of 18 are considered minors for the purposes of protecting them from exposure to tobacco smoke in vehicles.