How smoking in the open doorway of your car could land you a fine

MOTORISTS who smoke in the open doorway of their car with kids on board could be slapped with a £50 fine.

It has been illegal to smoke in a vehicle with anyone under the age of 18 since 2015 – but plenty could be caught out by this legal clause.

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According to the Government website, anyone that smokes in a car with a fully or partially enclosed roof while they have a child on board can be fined – even if the windows or sunroof are open, or the air conditioning is on.

But a smoker can also be penalised if they are “sitting in the open doorway of their vehicle” while it’s parked.

Even if you are leaning outside of the motor, because you are sitting on the car’s seat you are classified as being in the car.

Your cigarette smoke could still travel back inside the vehicle and affect young passengers.

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According to the DVSA, the law doesn’t apply to “a convertible car with the roof completely down”.

It has been illegal to light up in a vehicle in England and Wales with anyone under 18 present since October 2015.

Anyone caught by police for committing the offence will be slapped with a £50 fine for each person smoking in the vehicle.

And the driver can even be fined if they aren’t the one with the cigarette – meaning fines can be issued more than once.

But despite the law, police were opting to issue verbal warnings rather than a fine in 80 per cent of cases a year after it came into force. 

Here is how smoking in your car could end up costing you as much as £2,000. 

According to experts, lighting up behind the wheel can actually devalue your motor, with smells, stains and burn marks knocking off the price when you come to sell it.

We have also revealed how drivers can be fined up to £2,500 for vaping in the driver’s seat.