Will smoking while driving result in a fine of several hundred euros? In Italy, fines for having children or pregnant women in a car have doubled!
On September 13, 2026, it was reported that if you accidentally light a cigarette while driving, you may be fined a lot of money. Italian law does not completely prohibit smoking in cars, but in some cases it is very strict and fines are not small.
If a person is driving, or if there are adults sitting in the car, smoking while driving is legal. But if there are people in the car who need protection, the situation is completely different. And it has nothing to do with whether the car is driven or not. As long as there are these people in the car, whether driving on the road or parked on the side, smoking is not allowed.
This regulation comes from Law No. 6 of January 12, 2016. Its Article 24, Paragraph 2 supplements the Legge Sirchia Law (also known as Law No. 3/2003 protecting non-smokers). The regulation states that both the driver and passengers are not allowed to smoke when there are minors under the age of 18 or pregnant women in the car. Whether it's parking or driving, it doesn't work. Even if you open the window or skylight, it is still illegal.
The amount of fine depends on who is inhaling second-hand smoke in the car:
Minors aged 12 to 17 in the car will be fined 27.50 to 275 euros;
If there are children under 12 years old or pregnant women in the car, the fine will be doubled to 55.00 euros to 550.00 euros.
It should be noted that such violations are related to public health, so they cannot enjoy the discount of "30% discount for fines paid within 5 days" in Italian traffic regulations, and must be paid in full.
In addition, the Italian traffic regulations (Codice della Strada) currently do not directly stipulate the deduction of points or fines for "distraction due to smoking". However, if the driver slips or engages in dangerous driving while lighting or holding a cigarette, the police may impose fines under Article 141 (2) of the traffic regulations (failure to effectively control the vehicle), ranging from 42.00 euros to 173.00 euros, but without deducting driver's license points.
