Drivers and passengers in England and Wales are
being warned by the Department of Health that it is illegal to smoke
in any vehicle carrying a person under the age of 18. Smokers face a fine of
£50 (US $80) — with drivers also being at risk for additional penalties for
failing to stop passengers and/or smoking themselves — for lighting up in any
vehicle wholly or partly enclosed by a roof:
From 1 October 2015 it is 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.
Police will not issue fines until the public is able to become accustomed to the new regulation. They will take an advisory, educational and non-confrontational approach for the first 90 days of the new ban.
Smoking advocates have called the law unenforceable. However, health officials as well as anti-smoking groups have hailed the new measure as one of the most important since a general smoking ban was placed in the workplace and public places that are enclosed that took effect in 2007 across England.
Police will not issue fines until the public is able to become accustomed to the new regulation. They will take an advisory, educational and non-confrontational approach for the first 90 days of the new ban.
Smoking advocates have called the law unenforceable. However, health officials as well as anti-smoking groups have hailed the new measure as one of the most important since a general smoking ban was placed in the workplace and public places that are enclosed that took effect in 2007 across England.
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 driving license. 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.
Government health agencies estimate that about
one-third of the area’s children (about 3 million) are exposed to smoke in
vehicles.
The new law does not cover e-cigarette use.
In the United States a handful of states have
enacted laws barring smoking in cars when minors are present, but there is as
yet no nationwide law regulating that behavior.
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