New law on smoking in cars and other vehicles with someone under 18.
As from today ( Thursday 1st October 2015) it will be illegal to smoke in a car (or other vehicles) with anyone under 18 present. The law is changing to protect children and young people from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
- Both the driver and the smoker could be fined £50. If you are the driver and the smoker, you could be fined twice
- The law applies to every driver in England and Wales, including those aged 17 and those with a provisional driving licence
- The law does not apply if the driver is 17 years old and is on their own in the car
- 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
- Motorhomes and caravans are also covered by the new law: although it will be illegal to smoke inside when used as a vehicle, the law allows smoking inside when used as living quarters.