Officer Issues $435 Ticket for Tossing Cigarette out Window

A man smokes a cigarette at his car's window as holiday-makers drive at slow pace on the A
PHILIPPE MERLE/AFP/Getty Images

A Canadian driver was charged with a hefty fine after a police chief caught him tossing a cigarette out the window last Saturday.

Del Manak, the chief of police in Victoria, tweeted Saturday that he fined the driver C$575 ($435) while the two were traveling down a highway.

“575 reasons not to throw your lit cigarette out the car window,” Manak tweeted, to which the driver replied, “I didn’t want my car to burn.”

“Then don’t smoke in your car,” the police chief said.

Manak issued the ticket for violating the Wildfire Act under British Columbia law, which in this instance, calls for steep fines for those who fail to put out a fire, USA Today reported.

If a lit cigarette sparks a wildfire within British Columbia, the penalties can be even worse.

The Vancouver Sun reported that it is the second time within a year that Manak has allegedly issued a fine to someone who threw a lit cigarette outside the window of a vehicle.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.