By Eric Lai - from Wheels.ca
No “butts” about it, tossed cigs cause fires.
Along with their namesake bad habit, many smokers have a nasty practice of flinging ashes and lit cigarettes out the window when driving, or emptying their car ashtray onto the road when stopped.
What’s the harm of these inconsiderate acts?
First off, it’s illegal. This is a “litter highway” offence under section 180 of the Highway Traffic Act. If a fire results, criminal charges can apply. And roadside grass fires are indeed common, as are fires in other vehicles (for example, when a lit butt lands in a mattress being transported by another vehicle).
As for flicking ashes and butts, what goes out one window often comes in through another — and when what’s incoming is incendiary in nature, that’s not only rude, it can be downright dangerous for others. Lightweight ashes, in particular, hang in the air and drift into following vehicles, forcing others to close their windows to avoid your airborne garbage.
“If you smoke in your vehicle, extinguish your cigarette butts in the vehicle ashtray. Never throw lit cigarette butts out the car window, which is known to cause fires,” warns Bev Gilbert of the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office.
Between 2005 and 2009, improperly discarded smokers’ implements were responsible for starting 68 per cent of the 372 outdoor fires that investigators were able to attribute to smoking. However, due to the difficulty in pinpointing the cause of outdoor fires, the Fire Marshal’s Office reports that carelessly discarded lit cigarettes are also the suspected cause of many additional unclassified fires where the cause couldn’t be conclusively determined. In total, 41,753 outdoor fires (of all causes and cause-unknown) were recorded in Ontario during this five-year period.
Just how dangerous is one lit butt?
“The horrendous 200 Wellesley St. E. (highrise apartment complex) fire was sparked by a single lit butt flicked from one balcony and landing on another,” notes Gilbert. He adds that smokers trying to extinguish a butt in potted plants — which can contain readily combustible material — have also caused many fires.
No “butts” about it, tossed cigs cause fires.
ReplyDeleteHow many fire incidents are because of these butts but I think that is because of the careless smoker and most of the smokers these days are aware of it.
discount cheap cigarettes