9 July 2013

Cigarettes out car windows?

| Terra
Join the conversation
22

Just wondering how much trouble I’d likely get in for giving someone back their discarded cigarette?

I was sitting at the lights at GDE and Belconnon Way this morning, and the driver of the van in front of me casually flicked his still lit cigarette out the window and onto the road. Well, that was the first thought, but then I realised maybe the poor man dropped it and couldnt find it.

I was about to get out and pick it up for him, knock on his window and when he opened it, politely give him it back. Or maybe drop it in his lap where he could find it later.

Pity the lights changed too quickly.

So really. Is it an offence to give someone back their rubbish, especially if it’s still smouldering?

Join the conversation

22
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Bom records guru said :

To the OP: I would suggest carrying a small fire extinguisher with you to make your point. Everyone will get the idea, and is less likely to end up with you being hospitalised. If you do want to pick a fight, just point the extinguisher through the offenders window and empty its contents in their car 🙂

Oh, did I leave that bit out? Sorry, I go to work in motorcycle gear. Nose punches and the like would hurt him far more than me. And reaction times to get to the said cigarette and return it are much less. So if you see a big white van raging at a little blue motorbike along GDE one morning soon, you know why huh? 🙂

Terra said :

Euro will pretty much mean pushbikes are second nature. Well in most of it anyway.

A lap of the lake, either all together or in parts, will get her interest up about the main attractions.

Just follow on from there.

War Memorial (yes even for teenage girls) and National Museum are musts.

She could also go online and get her threads confused in Riotact

Euro will pretty much mean pushbikes are second nature. Well in most of it anyway.

A lap of the lake, either all together or in parts, will get her interest up about the main attractions.

Just follow on from there.

War Memorial (yes even for teenage girls) and National Museum are musts.

Bom records guru said :

The February 1991 Black Mountain fire (probably the most significant fire in urban Canberra in the 20 years before 2001-03) was started this way – a few weeks afterwards you could go to the intersection of Belconnen Way and Macarthur Avenue and see exactly where the offending cigarette landed.

Belconnen Way does not intersect Macarthur Avenue (and never has). There is over 1km of road known as ‘Fairfax Street’ separating them.

To the OP: I would suggest carrying a small fire extinguisher with you to make your point. Everyone will get the idea, and is less likely to end up with you being hospitalised. If you do want to pick a fight, just point the extinguisher through the offenders window and empty its contents in their car 🙂

Very good tongue in cheek post.

I’m beginning to think that dash cam footage (posted to social media) is the only way to deal with this type of behaviour. Posting footage to police is only going to be viable if the police start to keep a database of alleged driving offences and then targeting apparent repeat offenders.

So for anyone who does smoke in the car, like I used to do when I was a smoker, here’s a tip.

Grab an empty plastic drink bottle, and half fill it with water. Dispose of your butt in the bottle, swish it around and it’s put out. Pop the lid back on, and there’s no smell (well…no more smell than you’ve already created by smoking in the car in the first place…)

When the bottle begins to get full, just throw it out and start a new one.

There’s no excuse for throwing butts out the window, especially when alternatives are so simple.

Madam Cholet6:10 pm 09 Jul 13

MsCheeky said :

This reminds me a big car trip we did as a family in about 1969-70. Toyota Crown pulling a trailer with Mum, Dad, six kids and the dog, drove from Woomera, South Australia to Brisbane, Sydney and back to Woomera over a period of about a month, in the middle of summer. You can imagine we generated a bit of rubbish during some of the long drives – empty drink cans, sandwich wrappers and so on.

With the drink cans, when we were finished, our job was to hand them up to Dad who would chuck them out of the car with a right hander over the roof onto the side of the road, though he did rather favour throwing them while on a bridge so they’d end up in a creek. It seemed a perfectly normal bit of behaviour back then. Not too long after that campaigns such as Keep South Australia Beautiful started up and people began to wise up. Thinking about it now, I cringe.

Also, when I was in the ranks of filthy smokers, I was similarly oblivious to the concepts of littering or second hand smoke. Double cringe. Still, hindsight is 20-20.

You are absolved my child. Although I think even the big man would cringe at that one.

I grew up in another country, but you are right, back then there was not so much awareness. Thank god for progress!

Incredibly annoying. What’s worse is when the ignorant knob in front flicks it out the window whilst moving and it hits square in your windscreen in a shower of sparks.
Frankly I reckon cars should have smoke detectors in them that roll the windows up when they detect the smoke. Let the filthy scum swelter in their own stench.

Bom records guru5:50 pm 09 Jul 13

The February 1991 Black Mountain fire (probably the most significant fire in urban Canberra in the 20 years before 2001-03) was started this way – a few weeks afterwards you could go to the intersection of Belconnen Way and Macarthur Avenue and see exactly where the offending cigarette landed.

Felix the Cat5:06 pm 09 Jul 13

If they are stupid enough to be smoking in the first place then trying to “enlighten” them about littering and potential bushfires is at best going to be totally lost on them.

Madam Cholet4:27 pm 09 Jul 13

Today when I was up at Majura I pulled a woman up on nearly taking my son out as she flew into a parking space. No apology, just outright denial that she was driving like a total arse wipe. She also had a small baby in the back of her car which gives anyone reason to watch how they drive. By the looks of her she was the baby’s grandmother.

So I don’t fancy your chances of getting any joy from your smoker. Most people who do strange things in their cars on Canberra roads think its their god given right.

I lived in the rural subdivisions outside Canberra for about 15 years, and on many occasions I witnessed people flicking their still burning butts out of their car windows in a shower of sparks.

So for me, this has never been a simple matter of littering. I’ve always viewed it as the action of someone who doesn’t care about the possibility of setting my house on fire, burning me and my family to death, killing my pets and livestock and doing the same thing to all of my neighbours.

I’ve lived in suburban Canberra since 2000, and the risks aren’t the same here as in rural areas, but in this dry and fire prone country of ours, a carelessly tossed butt can still have terrible consequences for other people and their property.

All you smokers think about who or what you might burn the next time you roll down your window to ditch that bumper.

You may wish to do that but I bet you’ve got more sense?

Habits like this start bush fires. It is in every ones interest to point this out to the polluter.

This reminds me a big car trip we did as a family in about 1969-70. Toyota Crown pulling a trailer with Mum, Dad, six kids and the dog, drove from Woomera, South Australia to Brisbane, Sydney and back to Woomera over a period of about a month, in the middle of summer. You can imagine we generated a bit of rubbish during some of the long drives – empty drink cans, sandwich wrappers and so on.

With the drink cans, when we were finished, our job was to hand them up to Dad who would chuck them out of the car with a right hander over the roof onto the side of the road, though he did rather favour throwing them while on a bridge so they’d end up in a creek. It seemed a perfectly normal bit of behaviour back then. Not too long after that campaigns such as Keep South Australia Beautiful started up and people began to wise up. Thinking about it now, I cringe.

Also, when I was in the ranks of filthy smokers, I was similarly oblivious to the concepts of littering or second hand smoke. Double cringe. Still, hindsight is 20-20.

Easily solved – the same way you solve the McDonalds rubbish problem: put a $5 deposit on each piece of disposable rubbish – each wrapper, each cigarette, etc. – refundable on return (of butts in the case of ciggies) to the place of purchase or brand outlet.

canberracath4:07 pm 09 Jul 13

Ryanstein said :

You’re an idiot. Mind your own business

Haven’t you got better things to do?

I think we’ve got a butt-thrower here!

Ryanstein said :

You’re an idiot. Mind your own business

Haven’t you got better things to do?

Throw your buts out the window do you?

In reply to post #2 I think that littering is everyones` business. Unfortunately there`s not much than one private person can do about it. Just a toot on the horn can get you road raged and bashed. This is especially probable from those who call others idiots for stating just what most of us would like to do and in a light hearted way.

Oh how I would love to do this……..it would probably get me a smack in the nose though……. 😛

You’re an idiot. Mind your own business

Haven’t you got better things to do?

Can’t see why it would be. In fact, it would be a crime to pick it up and keep it (theft through finding), and it would be negligent to leave it where is is (littering through inaction?), so I see your choices are limited.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.