Any vehicle or parent who is driving with
children and consumes tobacco will be fined £50 per offense. The new law will
be implemented on October 1 in England and Wales. Meanwhile, Scotland is also
considering introducing a similar ban.
The British Lung Foundation considers the
new law a victory, however opposition deems that it is an “unenforceable” law.
Anybody who is driving alone or driving a
convertible with the top down will not be fined for smoking.
Around 342 MPs had voted in favour of the
new bill while 74 had been in opposition.
The BLF said that 430,000 children are
exposed to second-hand smoke in vehicles every week. This increases the risk of
asthma, meningitis and even death among young children.
Public Health Minister Jane Ellison said
that three million children are inhaling second-hand smoke in cars, which puts
their health at risk.
"We know that many of them feel embarrassed or frightened
to ask adults to stop smoking which is why the regulations are an important
step in protecting children from the harms of secondhand smoke."
Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung
Foundation, said: "This is a tremendous victory.
"We urge the Government to show the same commitment
to introduce standardised packaging for all tobacco products, in order to
protect the 200,000 children taking up smoking every year in this country.
"We are certain that these measures together will prove to
be two of the most significant milestones for public health since the
smoke-free legislation of 2007."
