The government are bringing in new changed to the rules of smoking in vehicle from 1st October 2015.
As per the new rule commencing in October, private vehicles must remain smokefree if they are enclosed, there is more than one person present and one of them is under 18.
An enclosed car is wholly or partly covered by a roof. A convertible car with the roof completely down is not enclosed, hence, is not covered by the legislation.
It would be an offence for a person of any age to be smoking in a private vehicle that is carrying someone under the age of 18. It would also be considered an offence for a driver, including provisional drivers to not stop someone smoking in their vehicle. However, these rules do not apply to e-cigarettes.
There will be a fixed £50 penalty notice fine for both offences. If someone commits both offences, they could be fined twice.
The changes are coming into action due to the serious conditions caused by the secondhand smoke on children, as well as adults in general. The smoke can cause conditions such as meningitis, cancer and respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, while also making asthma worse.
