North East Welcomes New Smoking Law
New laws have come in making it illegal for any North East drivers to smoke in cars with children present.
It’s claimed 88% of adults in our region welcome the ban.
It means from October 1st both the driver and the smoker can be fined ÂŁ50 if anyone smokes in a vehicle with a person who is under 18.
Approximately three million children in England are currently exposed to second-hand smoke in vehicles, putting them at risk of serious conditions including meningitis and respiratory infections such as bronchitis.
Newcastle University, Public Health England and Fresh Smoke Free North East conducted an experiment to highlight the dangers of exposure to second-hand smoke in vehicles.
This tested the levels of dangerous chemicals (fine particles known as PM2.5) to which children can be exposed in the back seat of a car when a driver is smoking.
The experiment showed that even with the window open, levels of dangerous chemicals were more than 100 times higher than recommended safety guidelines.
Lisa Surtees from Fresh told Metro Radio “There is actually no safe way to smoke in a car with a child. The toxin levels are extremely high. There is four thousand chemicals in there and fifty of them are cancer causing.”
“It’s going to be important in the coming months while it’s just starting to bed in to keep on raising the awareness around it to keep that education there. Not only about the law, but about why it’s there and why it is important.”