Since a ban on smoking in a car with children came into effect in the UK last October, not a single prosecution for breaking this law has been recorded by Britain’s largest police force.
The new law which came into effect last October makes it illegal to smoke in private vehicles that are carrying children (anyone under the age of 18). The intention of this law is to protect children from second-hand smoke. Breaching this law is meant to lead to a fixed penalty fine of £50, reduced to £30 if paid within two weeks or increased to £200 if convicted in a magistrates’ court.
However, a recent Freedom of Information request has confirmed that the Metropolitan Police Force, which covers the vast majority of Greater London, did not hand out a single fine for this offence in the last three months of 2015.
Across all London boroughs police officers recorded just two incidents in which an adult was caught smoking in a car with a child onboard. In both cases, the offender was given a verbal warning rather than the on-the-spot fine.
Police response to new law
Many police forces have reportedly said they would educate and advise offenders with verbal warning during the new law’s initiatory months, but were also adamant that fines would be given to repeat offenders.
Up until now however, offences are only be recorded in notebooks of individual officers as opposed to a central bank compiling all incidents. This makes it virtually impossible to know which drivers have already been warned about smoking in a car with children onboard, unless the same police officer just so happens to see the same offender repeating the act.
The law to ban smoking in cars with children was introduced under guidance from health experts, but its effectiveness was brought into question by motoring groups and public opinion polls even before it was introduced. Following recent discoveries, those doubts are bound to intensify.
