England Now Bans Smoking in Cars With Children.

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."