Motorists in England will be banned from smoking in the car if they are carrying passengers under the age of 18.
Drivers seen smoking with children in the car could face a £50 fine after the regulations come into effect on 1 October.
342 MPs from across all parties voted in favour of the ban, with just 74 voting against the bill.
The move follows a similar ban in Wales, and Scotland is also considering introducing similar measures.
The British Lung Foundation praised the vote as “a tremendous victory for children’s health” as passive smoke inhalation can increase a child’s risk of asthma, meningitis and cot death.
In a statement, the health charity said:
“Today we achieved a tremendous victory for the half a million children being exposed to second-hand smoke in the family car every week in England. Parliament has spoken and given their final stamp of approval – a ban on smoking in cars with children will come into force by October 2015. A massive thank you to every single person who helped make this a reality – together we can make change happen!”
Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation commented:
“This marks another step forward in efforts to protect children’s health from the dangers of tobacco. But it is not the end of the journey.
“Parliament will shortly vote on introducing standardised packaging – a key measure in helping to stop children from smoking. By ridding cigarette products of their distinctive designs we’ll reduce the appeal of this uniquely lethal product damaging the heart health of future generations.”
