From this Thursday onwards it will be illegal to smoke in private vehicles that are carrying children, but research reveals that some drivers don’t believe it will be effective.
From October 1 onwards, motorists will face fixed penalty fines of £50 if they’re found to be lighting up with passengers under the age of 18 in an effort to protect kids from second-hand smoke.
The new bill was first introduced last year as part of the larger Children and Families Act, and will apply to anybody smoking in a car with children on board and not just parents.
However, a survey from the RAC has found that an overwhelming 92 per cent of British motorists feel that the prospect of effective enforcement will be unlikely.
Nine out of 10 people the RAC questioned knew about the new law, but only half knew that it was coming into for this week, while four in 10 had no idea when its start date would be.
Simon Williams, RAC spokesman, said: “It is worrying that nine in 10 motorists have concerns about the extent to which the new law is likely to be enforced.
“This is perhaps well-founded as traffic police officer numbers have fallen by nearly a quarter between 2010 and 2014 across forces in England and Wales, so it is hard to see how people flouting the law are going to be caught.”
The new ban will join various other laws introduced in recent years, for example legislation that makes it illegal to undertake and to hog the middle lane of the motorway.
Mr Williams added: “But without sufficient enforcement there is a real danger that these laws will quickly be forgotten by a large proportion of the motoring population.”
The legislation will cover any private vehicle that’s either fully enclosed or partly enclosed with a roof, so the only cars exempt from the ban are convertibles with the roof completely folded.
Vehicles with sunroofs still count as enclosed, while motorhomes, campervans and caravans will only be exempt from the law when stationary and being used as living accommodation.
