Finland to Quash Smoking in Cars

A proposal on the issue will be handed to Parliament within two weeks. The ban in vehicles is just one of the changes in tobacco legislation that could come into effect next spring.

For the time being, no punishments are planned for smokers who break the rule. That means smokers can be urged, but not forced, to stop smoking if a child is in the car.

Ismo Tuominen, a ministerial adviser at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, says the legislation would mainly be a moral issue.

The legislation, which is expected to pass, would make Finland the only European country to regulate smoking in private cars. Similar laws are in place in South Africa, Puerto Rico and parts of the United States, Canada and Australia.