Smoking in cars carrying children to be banned in 2015

Details of the new law to be released to the public in December.

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by Megan Sirisena |
Published on

Tory and Liberal Democratic MPs voted earlier in 2014 to ban smoking in cars carrying children, making the act illegal.

Motorists will find themselves facing a £60 fine or a deduction of points from their licence if caught smoking around kids, once the ban begins to be enforced in October of next year.

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Despite Nick Clegg calling the ban 'illiberal' and 'unenforceable', Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt consulted on using the provisions in the Children and Families Act to establish the details of this law change.

Drivers will also be expected to put a stop to passengers smoking in front of a child, incurring fines of up to £10,000 if they fail to do so. Passengers, however, will only face a maximum £800 for lighting up.

ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) campaigned heavily to have the ban in law before May’s General Election.

"Cars are small tin boxes where concentrations of tobacco smoke can reach dangerous levels very quickly," Chief Executive Deborah Arnott explained. "The time has come for it to be illegal to make children breathe in these toxic fumes."

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Director of the smokers’ group Forest, Simon Clark, disagrees, insisting that ‘a ban is excessive and unnecessary'.

"Smoking in cars with children has been in decline for years. Today very few people do it because the overwhelming majority of smokers accept that it’s inconsiderate."

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In 2012, YouGov ran an opinion poll which found that 80 per cent of all adults and 65 per cent of smokers backed a ban on smoking in cars with children under 18.

Where do you stand on the law change? About time? Or unnecessary? Have your say in the comments box below.

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