A Liberal Democrat wants to bring in a law to ban people from smoking in cars which have children in them.
MSP Jim Hume intends to carry out a consultation on the proposal and, if he gets enough support, he will introduce legislation at Holyrood.
Countries such as Australia, Canada and South Africa have passed laws banning people from smoking when children are present in vehicles.
Mr Hume hopes to bring forward a member’s bill to change the law in Scotland.
“Scotland faces an enormous challenge in changing our relationship with tobacco. By banning adults from smoking in their cars whilst children are present, we can build a fairer society which gives every child the best start in life.
“It doesn’t seem fair that children should suffer from passive smoking during the school run. It doesn’t seem fair that any child should have to be swallowed up in a cloud of tar and nicotine on their way to football or dance classes
“Nowadays attitudes towards smoking have changed dramatically and most parents and grandparents would think twice before smoking around their kids.
“But even one child being affected by an illness they didn’t ask for due to passive smoking is a scar on our society.”
Mr Hume said the British Heart Foundation, British Medical Association, Cancer Research UK and anti-smoking campaigners at Ash Scotland all back such a move.
The South of Scotland MSP said he is “proud that Scotland has led the way in efforts to curb the scourge of tobacco in our communities”.
The country was the first part of the UK to ban smoking in public places in March 2006. Earlier this week the Scottish Government said cigarettes and other tobacco products should be sold in plain packs, making it the first part of the UK to officially support standardised packaging.
Mr Hume said the Government’s support for plain packaging is “a progressive step in the right direction”.
He said: “Following on from other ground breaking initiatives such as the ban of smoking in public places, I hope that people of all parties and none will contribute to the consultation in due course. This is about guaranteeing that children in Scotland have the freedom to go on and lead healthy lives if they choose to. And that starts with removing barriers such as smoke-filled cars.”