Smoking ban in cars carrying children comes into force in October

From next month (October) it will be illegal to smoke in a car, or other vehicle, with anyone under 18 present.  The law is changing to protect children and young people from the dangers of second hand smoke.

Both the driver and the smoker could be fined £50.  The law applies to every driver in England and Wales, including those aged 17 and those with a provisional licence.  The law does not apply if the driver is 17 years old and is alone in the car.

Every time a child breathes in second hand smoke, they breathe in thousands of chemicals.  This puts them at risk of serious conditions including meningitis, cancer, bronchitis and pneumonia.  It can also make asthma worse.

The law applies to any private vehicle that is enclosed wholly or partly by a roof.  It still applies if people have the windows or sunroof open, have the air conditioning on, or if they sit in the open doorway of the vehicle.  The law won’t apply to a convertible car with the roof completely down.

Leave a Reply

The owner of this website has made a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.