The ban comes after an experiment revealed that, even with the windows open, smoking in vehicles with children exposes them to dangerous chemicals a hundred times higher than the recommended safety guidelines.
Shockingly, with the windows closed and fans on the levels of chemicals were 200 times higher.
The new law means that anyone who smokes in a car with someone under 18 could be fined £50.
Even if you think your child is out of harm, over 80 per cent of cigarette smoke is invisible. Secondhand smoke alone is made up of over 200 chemicals, 50 of which can cause cancer.
But it’s not just cancer: secondhand smoke puts children at risk of meningitis and respiratory conditions like bronchitis.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said: “This legislation is a landmark in protecting our children from secondhand smoke. Smoking just a single cigarette in a vehicle exposes children to high levels of air pollutants and cancer-causing chemicals like arsenic, formaldehyde and tar, and people often wrongly assume that opening a window, or letting in fresh air, will lessen the damage.”
If you want to protect your child and benefit your own health, take the Stoptober challenge.
It encourages smokers to stop for 28 days, meaning you’ll be five times more likely to quit for good.
For more information on Stoptober, and how to get involved, click here.