Colorado/Smokers Beware
 

People are asked to report anyone who tosses a lighted cigarette butt out their car window, she said. They are requested to try to get the license plate number and a description of the person driving the car so police can locate and cite them.<BR><BR>People caught will be cited with reckless endangerment, a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by a fine of between $50 and $750 and/or a jail sentence of six months later. The district attorney's office will most likely throw the book at offenders, said assistant DA Mark Hurlbert.<BR><BR>Smoking is banned at all Summit and Eagle county ski resorts.<BR>

I am glad. Smokers pollute the air for everyone else. Let them smoke in their own home, and that is it. As far as I am concerned, it is treated like being nude. Inside your home is your choice, but outside is indecent exposure.

Well, "Good," while I happen to agree with you, I think it has a lot more to do with the wildfires currently burning in Colorado than with any concern about second-hand smoke. But whatever the reason, I agree--good!<BR>

do you ever read the news "Good"? If so, you may have noticed a story or two about a little fire that is going on outside Denver. The restrictions are because of fire danger in Colorado, not because smokers are polluting the air.

Well, I think Good had it right. That fire is a big smoker that's polluting the air for everyone else. If they had contained that fire inside someone's house, all tose people wouldn't have to suffer the indecent exposure to all that second hand smoke.

Agree that no matter the reason it is good. Throwing cig butts out the window is rude and illegal, has been for a long time but now they WILL enforce. Ppl in Colorado WILL turn you in if they see it happening. <BR><BR>Just want to get the word out that if you smoke you MUST be careful. You will get no sympathy from anyone in this state if you violate the ban and most likely a heafty fine. <BR><BR>I am not anti-smokers just anti reckless/thoughtless smokers. <BR><BR>If you know of anyone traveling to my state please send them a copy. Not just to smokers but to all so that they too can keep an eye out. <BR><BR>Thanks.

Maybe the reason is to prevent more fires, but I like the idea of not repealing this law once the fires go away.<BR><BR>I would rather smell someone's fart than their stinking cigarette.

bottom line, smokers can kill people one way or another.

Wanted to chime in and say a very similar law was recently passed in Indiana. As of July 1, (date law goes ionto affect) it will be illegal to throw cigarette butts out of vehicles whether moving or not. Not sure what class offenxse it is. But they are talking about it a lot on the news and apparently it will be strictly enforced an will be a primary offense. FYI some offenses such as lack of a seatbelt are secondary offenses meaning that you cannot pull someone over for not having on a seatbelt but if they are pulled over for another reason (a primary offense) they can thenm be cited secondarily.<BR><BR>The reasoning in Indiana is different thought. there is no problem with forest fires but a huge litter problem on the interstate from butts. Additionally the state legislator who was backing the bill apparently had an encounter where he driving down the road with the window down and the car in front of him threw out a butt that was not extinguished and it flew in this guys car and landed on his lap, very dangerous!

Well I must admit, while driving through your beautiful state last week on a cross country drive, I did throw my butts out the window along I-70 and route 6. Oops. Well it was nice passing through.........

To "good" and other ham-handed smoke Nazis,<BR><BR>I fail to understand what you folks hope to accomplish by denigrating people still afflicted with the habit.<BR><BR>If you've walked a mile in a smoker's shoes, you would know that smoking is frightfully addictive and most would give it up immediately if they could.<BR><BR>The indignant tone of your "message" only serves to make some smokers turn away; others would like to punch your lights out (verbally or physically). In the end, you accomplishs nothing to alleviate your problem or theirs'.<BR><BR>BTW, I quit smoking ~15 years ago. Today, I still feel sorry for smokers but have no time for people like "good" and their kind. The "noise" in their signal is off the scale.

I agree.....I hate it when people turn the wildfire thing into a smoker's fault. I think that since Colorado drivers have so much time on their hands to get the license plate number, write it down, call the police, and tell them about the driver, they should be out helping put out the fires.<BR><BR>

Please this post was not a smoker Vs non-smoker thread. <BR>It’s a warning to those that would thoughtlessly discard their cigs out the window. The consequences of this is our very dry state could be devastating.<BR><BR>Please spread the word that the penalties of such action carry a heavy price. <BR><BR>Ignore smoker please, he is just trolling. <BR><BR>

Actually the reason why the smoking ban came up is because of a story on the news yesterday(Denver News). A family near the big fire was getting ready to evacuate their home, someone drove by and said "hey, did you know your front yard is on fire" They were able to put it out. They think it started from someone smoking in a car that threw their cigarette butt out the window. Weather it be stupid campers or careless smokers, it is a big issue right now. They even reported a group of teens in summit county had a bon fire going last night that was blowing ash all over.

The Colorado law is about survival and protection of property, not morality. People who take action to stop cigarette butts being thrown out the window ARE helping fight fires. People can still smoke in their cars if they use their ashtrays.

travellyn, exactly!, Lenleigh hard to believe that ppl can be that stupid.

You smokers will justify your habit no matter who gets killed. I can not believe you brag about throwing out your cigarettes and starting fires. You are very very sick.

Unbelievable, you are unbelievably ignorant to accuse ALL smoker's of being careless and killer's. Give me a break and get a life. You are definately a Troll and more than likely have a few vices of your own. You're probably pounding them down now as you sit on your computer.Grow up and get a clue. <BR>A NON-SMOKER

Smokers,<BR>Please explain why you believe you have the right to through your butts out the window?<BR><BR>If these are too dirty and smelly to keep in your car why do you think anyone else would want them?<BR><BR>They litter the highway and yes are a fire hazard in dry areas.<BR><BR>I hope this law comes east.

Some phone numbers for those interested<BR><BR>Summit County Sheriff's Office 970-453-2232, includes towns of Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper, Frisco, Dillon, Silverthorne.<BR><BR>Colorado State Patrol 303.239.4500 <BR><BR><BR>tj, good question. <BR><BR>La Plata County Sheriff's Office<BR>Durango 970-385-2900. <BR><BR>Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office<BR>Littleton, Colorado (303) 734-5101<BR><BR>Weld County Sheriffs Office 970-356-4015<BR><BR>

Be sure to dial those numbers from your cell phone while driving through the mountains west of Denver to report a butt thrown out the window. Be sure to get a pen and paper and wrote down the plate number while driving your car in cruise control. yeah that's smart. or better yet, dial 911 and tell them it's an emergency.

Addicts will do anything to reverse the logic of what is in the public interest: to protect their addiction, they will put the ability to behave as badly as possible at the top of the list of "democratic virtues." <BR><BR>It's the 10-year-old "you're not the boss of me" warping of all argument.

Yeah, smoking, and the freedom to ride motorcycles without helmets.

Troll Alert!

As reported in Sat Summit Daily News<BR><BR>Fire authorities say most fires in the High Country are caused by people who toss lighted cigarette butts from car windows, don't properly extinguish campfires or who light fireworks."

I have strong feelings about how inconsiderate smokers are, but I won't share them here. Wrong place, wrong time.<BR><BR>I would hope not throwing cigarettes, starting campfires, and using fireworks right now in CO is only common sense. Apparently not.<BR><BR>

Hmmmm, after blaming all the smokers it seems that it was a forest ranger who started the fire. Now what do you have to say?!

Mr. Troll no one blamed the fire on smokers. This thread is simply a warning to please be careful. Why are some smokers so upset by this? I would think that if you smoke you would be grateful for this warning. I would bet that ALL smokers at one time or another have tossed their lighted cigs out the window, not with any malice intent but simply not thinking abut it.<BR><BR>This past weekend I was up at Keystone, I watched a well-dressed middle aged women flick her cigarettes into a pile of wood chip mulch. The second time a waiter politely brought her an ashtray explained the fire danger. She was apologetic, but until that point she thought it was fine to throw her nasty cigs where we could all enjoy them.<BR><BR>Is it asking to much of smokers to use an ashtray and not to litter? <BR>

ttt

"""Hmmmm, after blaming all the smokers it seems that it was a forest ranger who started the fire. Now what do you have to say?!"""<BR><BR>So I guess my list of "The Things That Smokers do to Piss Me Off" goes from 1,076 to 1,075. Thanks for the head's-up.

me, cheer up!<BR><BR>They're still thinking that a cigarette caused the Missionary Ridge Fire near Durango. So far it's burned over 42 square miles of forest.

travellyn, I had not heard that. what a waste. <BR><BR>Saw this in todays Vail newspaper<BR>"Smoking is already prohibited in the national forest, except in building and cars, and state troopers will be on the lookout for drivers flicking cigarettes out of car windows."<BR><BR>

Part of an article in the Denver paper OP/ED section today:<BR><BR>"It may be harder to stop people from smoking on public lands, but the government also should permanently bar people from lighting up in national forests and parks unless they're inside buildings.<BR><BR>During 2000's awful fire season, smokers ignited nearly 3,900 wildfires on federal lands, incinerating more than 100,000 acres. In the rare cases that cops catch someone tossing a burning cigarette on the ground, they probably just write a ticket for littering. They should arrest the idiots for attempted arson.<BR><BR>If you doubt how seriously a tossed cigarette threatens public property and human lives, just ask the thousands of people whose homes are in the path of the Missionary Ridge inferno near Durango, a blaze investigators believe was caused by some imbecile flinging a still-burning butt onto the tinder-dry ground."<BR><BR>

Newspapers are now reporting that the Forest Service worker intentionally set the fire and that it had nothing to do with the ex's letter. Today's NY times reports it was set intentionally using brush to make it look like the fire jumped the fire ring. Idiot.

I haven't bought that ex husband letter story from the beginning. It just seemed there had to be something else. Who would love the forest so much as she supposedly did and do something like that with a stupid letter. There have been rumors ever since she "confessed" that she set it intenionally to put it out and look like a hero but it got out of control before she could. Whatever the case she has some screws loose.

Don;t be so quick to blame the smokers for the fires. Look what turned out in the Colorado fire. ONE OF YOUR OWN did it! So before you rush to judgement, wait for the facts. Not all smokers are careless. Not all non-smokers are angels either.

The Hayman fire was started by the forest worker. You are right she is an idiot! ppl are VERY angry.<BR><BR>The Missionary Ridge Fire is the one they think was started by a cigarette, another idiot!

Look on the bright side folks,,,with the crackdown on underage smoking, the pool of smokers is getting smaller and smaller every year. Those smoking today will die off one by one...and before you know it,,ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

LOL Paul! I am hopeing that smokers may get so mad they decide to boycott Colorado! Come on smokers unite. boycott Colorado! That'll show em!

To all you non smokers, I guess you all NEVER pollute? You don't drive, you don't put out trash on trash day, you never take a dump, you never gag people with your perfume? Listen, alot of people who smoke would like to quit, but it has been proven it is harder than heroin to quit. So...why don't you all lighten up. If you don't like smoke, stay away! Most people are trying to be considerate when they smoke. Its just like anything else, where there are the bad apples. Last I checked, its still legal.