Smoking motorists beware

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Frankie

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Not all smokers are inconsiderate, but there's a good few guilty of flicking burning stompies out of car windows.
A long time back while on my old Kawa Z1000, I had one such driver flick a hot stompie out the window and it lodged in my kit causing a helluva burn.
Now I have similar fears for my soft-top car.
These days many car parts such as bumpers and head lamps are plastic, and at risk with these stompies tossed out the windows.

I just wonder where they'll get the resources to police all these new laws.

Smoking motorists beware

The city of Cape Town has warned that it will be tough on motorists caught flinging burning cigarette butts or matches out of car windows in the coming fire season months.

Butts and matches have caused hundreds of fires, and Fire and Rescue station commander Denzel Ramedies said a R1 000 fine would be issued to anyone caught throwing burning cigarette "stompies" or matches on the ground.

He said high winds and dry vegetation during the dry summer season made the Western Cape more prone to the risk of fires spreading rapidly and becoming uncontrollable.

"Everyone has a role to play in minimising the risk. The city calls on all motorists to make use of the ashtrays in their vehicles to dispose of matches and cigarette butts," Ramedies said.
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Actually, littering from the vehicles should be tackled - the hot butts is just an additional risk to a disgusting littering trend.
 
Frankie said:
Actually, littering from the vehicles should be tackled - the hot butts is just an additional risk to a disgusting littering trend.
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Did someone mention "hot butts"?? Where, where, where????

LOL!
:D

I'm glad I don't live in CT.
 
Whether cig butts cause fires has been debated in the thread mentioned above, but I have a problem with this -

What happened to innocent until proved guilty ?

According to this report, should someone ( anyone, someone with an axe to grind, someone with poor eyesight ) lodge a complaint against you then that means you are guilty and you either pay the fine or take it to court.

How on earth do you prove that you didn't throw a lit cigarette out the window ?! How do you prove it was a dead filter, chewing gum, a piece of paper etc ?

The Constitution clearly states:

Every accused person has a right to a fair trial, which includes the right *

to be presumed innocent, to remain silent, and not to testify during the proceedings;
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The first time this gets taken to court is going to be interesting.
 
US$1000 fine in the USA for throwing a lit cigarette butt out of the window.
 
rwenzori said:
Did someone mention "hot butts"?? Where, where, where????

LOL!
:D

I'm glad I don't live in CT.
Click to expand...
All littering should be tackled.

If you're the littering type, maybe Cape Town's glad you don't live there :D

I mentioned hot stompies, because I've had one burn me when riding a bike behind a car who's driver flicked it out the window, and I believe those campaigning to curb the stompies thrown out cars also fear the hot ones most.
 
daveza said:
Whether cig butts cause fires has been debated in the thread mentioned above, but I have a problem with this -

What happened to innocent until proved guilty ?

According to this report, should someone ( anyone, someone with an axe to grind, someone with poor eyesight ) lodge a complaint against you then that means you are guilty and you either pay the fine or take it to court.

How on earth do you prove that you didn't throw a lit cigarette out the window ?! How do you prove it was a dead filter, chewing gum, a piece of paper etc ?

The Constitution clearly states:

The first time this gets taken to court is going to be interesting.
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I agree that there needs to be some form of proof, and I'm sure the courts would expect that. Hopefully the littering of all sorts will be curtailed with some effective means.
I bet in the US the police in-car video camera's would be sufficient evidence to convict someone of throwing cigarette butts out the car window, and they wouldn't bother attempting to confirm whether it was hot.

So the trick would be to impose the fines for littering, regardless of size or composition.

Small size or compactness of the litter does not make it a less of an offence.
 
It is now no longer necessary for the prosecution to prove who tossed out the burning item. Instead, the owner of the vehicle would be fined unless he or she chose to take the matter to court, Ramedies said.
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Don't you just love when things are made easier for the prosecution ... the presumption of innocence goes out the window, unless of course the driver wishes to fight a costly (and time-consuming) court battle.
 
It's absolutely mindless how many drivers chuck burning stompies out over Camps Bay Drive and along Victoria Rd towards Hout Bay. You are guaranteed to see a shower of sparks if you are driving there at night. And if the Sou Easter's pumping - You're also guaranteed to see a fire start sooner or later thanks to these stompie chucking dickheads:mad:
 
Yes they have learned that people with any money at all would rather just pay up even if they are innocent, instead of sitting at court day after day hoping their case comes up while their work piles up and their manager looks for reasons to fire them.
 
HumanoidTyphoon said:
Yes they have learned that people with any money at all would rather just pay up even if they are innocent, instead of sitting at court day after day hoping their case comes up while their work piles up and their manager looks for reasons to fire them.
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Look this new rule is "guilty until proven innocent" which ever way you try to fly it.
 
At traffic lights you should just stop, get out of your car, pick up the stomping and either flick it back or if the window is closed you place it on the bonnet.

And then get the f#ck out of there fast ! :p
 
I've been reading through this again and am now more confused -

The city amended its fire safety bylaw last year to make it easier to fine people who threw burning butts or matches out of car windows.

It is now no longer necessary for the prosecution to prove who tossed out the burning item. Instead, the owner of the vehicle would be fined unless he or she chose to take the matter to court, Ramedies said.
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If there is no court case initially how can there be a ' prosecution ' ?

If the vehicle owner chose to take it to court, then surely the normal legal stance would be that guilt would have to be proved.

Proved how ? Impossible.

To me this smacks of taking advantage of the fact that nobody has the time or inclination to do the whole court thing. If they were unable to prove guilt who pays for the owners attorney?

It's an unworkable mess whichever way you look at it.
 
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