Ban on smoking in cars when children are present is welcome

We have welcomed a new law that will ban smoking in cars when children under the age of 18 are present.

The ban aims to protect children from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. Over 340 MPs voted in favour of the new law in House of Commons last night and drivers will face a £50 fine if they smoke in the car when passengers under the age of 18 are present. The law is expected to come into force on 1st October.

Steven Lee-Foster, Director of Live Well Suffolk, said: “It’s estimated that more than 430,000 children are exposed to second-hand smoke while travelling in cars every week, which can increase their risk of developing serious health conditions such as asthma.

“This ban is a huge step in the right direction to help protect children and young people from the effects of second-hand smoke. We also know from experience that smoking is a habit that many people take up before they are 18 after watching their parents smoke, so anything that might help to prevent this is welcome.”

We are currently working with Suffolk County Council to achieve a long term ambition of creating a smokefree county. Meanwhile, Public Health England’s current ‘Smokefree Homes and Cars’ campaign is also aiming to raise awareness of the harm that exposure to secondhand smoke causes to children. Over 80% of cigarette smoke is invisible, and opening windows and doors does not remove its harmful effect.

We are the county’s free healthy lifestyles service and offer FREE group therapy and one-to-one sessions to help people stop smoking. We also deliver programmes to support pregnant mums who smoke. For more information about our range of stop smoking services, please see www.livewellsuffolk.org.uk or phone 01473 229292.