• Nanny Laws are designed to protect us from ourselves.inside the legislative building image by Peter Helin from Fotolia.com
  
  Controversial and highly debated, Nanny Laws are laws that are designed to protect us from ourselves. A much-used slang term, the phrase covers a wide range of legislature including smoking laws, driving laws and certain taxes. There are very few nationwide Nanny Laws; most are decided upon and enforced by individual states.
  
  

Smoking

• The laws on smoking in public places differ from state to state. According to the American Lung Association, as of October 2010 27 states have now banned smoking in public places. Another eight states have weaker rules but still restrict smoking in restaurants and bars.
  
  

Cell Phones

• It is illegal to use a hand-held cell phone while driving in eight states, including California and New York. Other states allow hands-free systems, which enable drivers to keep both hands on the wheel. However, these states restrict novice drivers (drivers under age 18, as well as those who have been driving for less than six months) from any form of mobile communication while driving. Texting is also an issue, with 30 states banning texting while driving.
  
  

Seat Belts

• There are two types of seat belt laws in the U.S., primary and secondary. Primary law allows officers to issue a traffic ticket to a driver or passenger not wearing a seat belt without witnessing another traffic offense. With secondary law, officers can only ticket those not wearing seat belts if they are also committing another traffic offense, such as speeding. Thirty-one U.S. states have primary laws, while 18 have secondary. New Hampshire is the only state that doesn't legally require those over 18 to wear a seat belt.
  
  

Taxes

• Certain products are taxed more to deter consumers from purchasing them. These heavy taxes apply to alcohol and cigarettes and some unhealthy food and drink. All states tax tobacco, with New York having the highest, adding $4.35 in taxes to each pack.
  
  

Motorcycle Helmets

• Like most Nanny Laws, the legislation regarding safety helmets varies from state to state. Twenty states require all motorcycle riders to wear a helmet, while others only require younger riders and passengers to wear one. New Hampshire, Illinois and Iowa do not enforce helmet laws on any motorcyclist or bike rider.
  
  

Age Restricted Substances

• Alcohol and tobacco both have minimum age limits for users across the U.S. In most states, the minimum tobacco age is 18, rising to 19 in some places. The minimum alcohol drinking age is one of the only Nanny Laws enforced by federal law. Nationwide, the minimum age is 21 and many states will also punish people who are caught buying alcohol for under-age drinkers.