HEALTH and safety campaigners renewed their calls last night for smoking to be banned in all cars.
It follows concerns that youngsters are being exposed to second-hand smoke caused by adults enjoying cigarettes while driving.
Fears have also been raised about the number of accidents caused by people smoking behind the wheel.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), said the charity was in favour of a ban on smoking in cars.
She said: “Cars are tin boxes, with not much air.”
And a spokeswoman from the road safety charity, Brake, said it supported the ban.
She said: “There is no specific offence at the moment which says you can be charged with smoking at the wheel.
A ban on smoking in cars carrying children is already in force in parts of Canada, the US and South Africa.
In the UK, there is a ban on smoking in commercial vehicles.
But Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ lobby group Forest said: ”Adults should err on the side of caution, but a ban is far too heavy-handed.”
