Department of Health
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Smoking in cars set to become illegal
Parliament has approved regulations which will make smoking in cars carrying children illegal.
The new rules will come into force on 1 October 2015 and people failing to comply could face a £50 fixed penalty notice.
Public Health Minister Jane Ellison said:
Three million children are exposed to secondhand smoke in cars, putting 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.
Public Health England will launch its campaign to raise awareness of the dangers that secondhand smoke in homes and cars can cause to children’s health. PHE will also be running a campaign later in the year to raise awareness of the new legislation.
The regulations will become part of the existing smokefree laws and would make it an offence to smoke or to fail to prevent smoking in a private vehicle with someone under the age of 18 present. The regulations do not apply to a driver on their own in a car.
