Penalties will apply not only while vans are in motion, but also if motorists are seen smoking in a vehicle while it is parked with the door open, smoking out of the window, with a sunroof open, or with the air conditioning turned on.
The penalty will be a £50 fine, which could be doubled if the perpetrator is both the driver and the smoker.
The law which bans smoking in any enclosed workplace, including vans classed as a ‘work vehicle that more than one person uses’, has been in place since July 2007.
Now, however, a van used by just one person but that is also used to transport children under 18 will also be subject to the new legislation.
“Van drivers should already be familiar with the Smoking At Work law, so they need to see this new legislation as an extension,” comments Steve Bridge, managing director, Mercedes-Benz Vans.
“If there is ever more than just the driver using the van, stick to the rule of no smoking at all.”