- Tobacco and Vapes Bill has returned to Parliament
- Could usher-in tougher new rules on smoking and vaping
- Health campaigners repeat calls for a total driving and smoking ban
- Studies show smoking behind the wheel can increase accident risk
Health campaigners have repeated calls for a complete ban on smoking while driving - whether children are present or not.
Legislation introduced in 2015 means it’s illegal to smoke in a car, or any other vehicle, with anyone under the age of 18 present.
Smoking in work vehicles used by more than one person has also been banned since 2007, when new laws were brought into force that govern smoking in ‘enclosed workplaces’.
Now health and motoring experts are calling for a total ban on smoking in vehicles - as they keep a close eye on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which looks to curb tobacco products and youth vaping and which returned to Parliament this week.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is a public health charity set up by the Royal College of Physicians to advocate for policy measures to reduce the harm caused by tobacco.
Hazel Cheeseman, Chief Executive at Action on Smoking and Health, addressed the prospect of a complete ban on smoking in cars and said: “It is a long-standing call from us.
“We believe everyone, not just children, should be protected from second-hand harms of smoke which are highly concentrated in a car. It is also unsafe for other road users if someone is smoking at the wheel.
“Having a lit cigarette in a car has been normalised but what is normal about having a tiny fire in your car? It is possible that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill might see an amendment along these lines."
Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing, says any new rules that improve road safety should be welcomed.
He explained: “The debate about smoking in your own private vehicle is an emotive one and raises questions around individual rights and personal choice.
“But from a safety perspective, you do scratch your head and wonder why smoking while driving hasn’t already been restricted. For the vast majority of non-smoking motorists, new legislation to tackle smoking behind the wheel would be welcomed.
“Even besides all of the various health implications, smoking while driving can create a dangerous distraction while also impeding a driver’s ability to grip a steering wheel and control a vehicle. In fact, several studies have also found smoking while driving increases crash risk. It goes without saying that a lit cigarette accidentally falling into a driver’s lap increases this risk exponentially.”
In 2011, the British Medical Association (BMA) called for a total ban on smoking while driving a vehicle, with the ‘toxic potential of smoke inside cars’ being ‘27 times higher than in the home’, it said. However, at the time, the Conservative Government said it did not believe that legislation was the ‘most effective way to encourage people to change their behaviour’,
When approached for comment by Select Car Leasing this month, the BMA said its position on the matter hadn’t changed while declining to be quoted on the subject.
The wide-ranging Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to prevent the legal sale of cigarettes to the next generation while also reducing youth vaping.
It was originally introduced to the Commons by the previous government in March 2024 and the legislation is being supported by the current Labour government.
The bill seeks to create a ‘smoke-free generation’ while phasing out the sale of tobacco products across the UK to anyone aged 15 or younger, ‘breaking the cycle of addiction and disadvantage’.
The Bill will give the government new powers to extend the indoor smoking ban to specific outdoor spaces - including children’s playgrounds and outside schools and hospitals - while creating vape-free areas.
Vape advertising and sponsorship will be restricted while disposable vapes are also due to be banned from 1 June 2025 under separate environmental legislation.
Smoking claims around 80,000 lives a year in the UK and is thought to cost taxpayers £3.1 billion annually.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “Unless we act to help people stay healthy, the rising tide of ill health in our society threatens to overwhelm and bankrupt our NHS. Prevention is better than cure.
“This government is taking bold action to create the first smoke-free generation, clamp down on kids getting hooked on nicotine through vapes, and protect children and vulnerable people from the harms of second-hand smoke.”
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