Keep it in the car
I ALWAYS get irritated when sitting in traffic. Not so much because of the traffic itself, that I am used to, but rather because I actually notice people and their driving habits.
Our staff at the office has come to the conclusion that smokers are, by far, the most inconsiderate people around … and before you get offended, you should know, I too am a smoker.
I did a six-month stint in Cape Town a while ago, and one of my first observations was that locals hated GP number plate drivers.
It was only three weeks into my stay that I was told the reason why Capetonians were being rude.
I, along with many other Gauteng motorists, were polluting their precious roads with stompies. You know those little red, still lit butts that fall gracefully out the window and nestle themselves, whilst still aflame, on the tar road for the next driver to drive over. Or even worse, in windy weather, blow on to the mountain and start a raging fire. What a big eye opener this was to me.
Here in Joburg, many smokers don’t give throwing a half-burnt cigarette out the window a second thought. We’d prefer to fling them out the window instead of placing them in the car’s ashtray. Why make your car stink when you can throw it out the window? Wrong.
Again, I’ll admit that I am still sometimes guilty of this, but for the most part, I like to think I am a responsible smoker … not that any smoker can really be responsible.
With this in mind, I am embarking on a new campaign and I urge all smokers to join me. And to the non-smokers, please support us, and when you see us throwing a butt out the window, be sure to roll down your windows and shout at us.
I will no longer be throwing cigarette butts out the window, but if I slip up I will be donating money towards a green, environmentally-friendly project, such as the Green Beings river cleanup. Who is with me?
