Should people who throw cigarette butts out of their window be charged with assault?

[taterguy]

If they manage to hit innocent cyclists like me who happen to be riding behind them.

If you're gonna do that shit, please do it in the winter, when I'll be wearing a face-mask and other protective clothing.

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[DesertFlower]

yes. in certain areas it can also cause

a fire.

[emulatorloo]

1. I think you could call the cops on them, I don't know what the charges would be

exactly, but gotta be against the law.

[LakeSamish706]

2. Assault, littering you name the charge and it should be a hefty fine as well.

In many states we have tinder dry conditions and they should damn well use their ash tray and a little common sense.

[damntexdem]

13. And negligence.

Even negligent homicide if it caused a death, which hitting a motorcyclist in the face in traffic very well could.

[Caliman73]

3. Sorry to hear that happened to you.

I would have to say no to the assault charge though. I think assault implies intent. People who throw shit out of their car window are just selfish and stupid litterers.

It would be nice to see those $1000 dollar fines imposed on littering, but I say that for anything thrown out of a car not just cigarette butts.

[slackmaster]

4. Yes, I think they should

And they should be charged with littering even if they don't hit a cyclist.

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

5. You must live in a nice area . . .

where I'm from they do it on purpose.

Knuckles ought to be broken, lips stapled, first born razed.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[taterguy]

8. Call me a litter Nazi, not a nicotine Nazi

I love smoking.

I just don't love people who toss little flaming projectiles in my general direction.

Of course I'm not too comfortable calling anyone a Nazi who doesn't commit acts of genocide, or want to commit acts of genocide.

[DesertFlower]

11. i'm a former smoker. i never

tossed a cigarette out of the car window.

a little off the point. i live in phoenix which is still clean. been here more than 20 years. i was stopped for a light and the car in front of me emptied his ashtray onto the road. i was furious.

[truedelphi]

17. Sorry to hear this happening. There are also people who

have had the backs of their pickup trucks catch on fire when the lit butt ends up there.

And of course, the cause of all this had driven on, blithely unaware of the damage they have wrought.

[Touchdown]

21. Having the most prisoners in the world isn't enough for you then?

We need to build more prisons, with more tax money we don't have. The fines for littering are heavy as it is. Assault is a felony charge, with mandatory prison sentences.

The "LAW & ORDER" fetish is supposed to be a GOP thing. When did it infect you? When you moved to the city and found out you actually had to share the world with other people?

[Ikonoklast]

23. Ride a motorcycle and get a lit butt thrown in your face.

Get back to me on how you feel about having the law do something about negligence when it comes to having your face burned.

[Touchdown]

25. Live on a busy street and put up with the Harley noise from bikers who feel entitled!

You should be wearing a helmet which covers your face. How often has this happened to you? Tossing butts is already illegal. How much more blood do you want?

[rantormusing]

24. Don't worry it's coming

I'm dreading the day they ban buying smokes in Indiana, i live in Chicago, and they randomly begin checking cars going through the border like they do for fireworks. They're not going to stop until it's illegal.

[haele]

7. They get charged with Arson if it causes a fire and they get caught.

Got no problem with them being charged with assault if a cigarette - or anything for that matter - is intentionally thrown out of a car window and hits someone else. Even if it's an "involuntary" action - there isn't any reason to just flick something out of your car window.
Accidents are something else. But most cars still come equipped with something that can be used as an ash tray. And if they don't, then use an empty can like everyone else does.

Haele

[sailor65]

9. ABSOLUTELY YES

Or at the very least I should be immune from prosecution for running them down and shoving it down their throats.

[catgirl]

10. People who do that are too stupid to know better

They don't consider polluting, for some reason. Get the plate number next time and report the idiot.

[AnArmyVeteran]

12. I feel (some) of your pain...

What an ass that was for that driver to do that. It could have resulted in an accident. But I've been attacked by nature in the form of a wasp that flew in and landed right between my legs. It was injured but its stinger kept moving around and got me right where it hurts the most.

I'm sorry you were hit by a cigarette. Smokers don't think when they throw their butts out the window. My grandad threw out a cigar butt as we were driving down to a bay, and on the way back that entire field was on fire. So smokers need to be more careful and start using their ash trays.

[rug]

14. Sorry, I was distracted by a text message.

[northernlights]

15. yes. especially if it blows into somebody's horse trailer

setting the hay inside on fire, burning up the pregnant mare she was rescuing.

She had to sit by the highway holding the agonized mare for several hourse before a vet could get there to euthanize her by the side of the road. :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[northernlights]

26. or arson, if it starts a forest fire nt

[devilgrrl]

16. They should be charged for littering!!!!

eom

[pipi_k]

18. Yeah....assault and butt-ery!!!! n/t

[Touchdown]

19. No.

[Bryn]

20. Where I live ... you get fined $1,000 for tossing a butt out of car window

Someone driving behind my step-brother (he's an asshole anyway) and wrote down his car tag # & reported step-brother to cop. Cop went to his house and ticketed him for $1,000! Arkansas is strict about throwing cigarette butts around.

[jp11]

22. Sure if you catch their plate# and write it down along with the description of the car, time, road

etc. I laughed when I asked why people do that when they have an ashtray, the answer I got back, 'I don't want the car to smell like smoke.', Oh you mean like your fingers, mouth, clothes, breath, hair, and face?

[Canuckistanian]

27. I once had a leak in my gas tank

Not a big one, but I knew it was there. I was driving home to repair it and TWO cars in front of me threw their lighted butts out the window.

I damn near caused an accident swerving to avoid those spraying sparks.

Ever since, I've been FURIOUS at people throwing lit cigarettes out the window with NO REGARD for those behind them.

[onehandle]

28. Yes. nt

[SidDithers]

29. Cigarette butts are the most littered item on Earth...

And one of the reasons I have such disdain for smokers.

Sid

[Bluenorthwest]

30. That is a heinous act

Anyone who throws anything out a car window should be fined and made to do litter clean up work, if you ask me.

[LucasD]

31. I carry a small bag of baby carrots and toss one into the car...

...of the cig butt offender. :-)

[flvegan]

32. Heh...heh heh...you said "butts"