[alphabassettgrrl]

Helmet laws impact the general public because we pay the costs of their hospital stays and rehab if they can be rehabbed. It's only secondarily about the deaths- as noted, a tragedy, but one that affects only that family. The public health care cost affects all of us. I'm not sure how I feel about helmet laws, though when hubby and I lived in a non-helmet-law state, we still wore helmets.

Cig smoke is more affecting to others around the smoker. Without smoke bans, as has been noted, there's really no public place to escape the smoke. Restaurants have "non smoking" sections, but you're not really away from it. If people smoke everywhere, how can a person escape it? Even by avoiding bars and restaurants and movie theaters, people still smoked in the grocery store, right? People smoke everywhere if allowed. That's the important element for me- the fact that if smokers are allowed free reign, a nonsmoker cannot avoid being exposed.

I disagree that smoking is required for any culture. Maybe it's a part of how they think of themselves, but culture changes. They can still be French. It's a lifestyle involving much more than just cigs.