[AnglePark]

That said, it ticks me off when smokers flick their butts out the window.

There are days I wish smoking would be banned entirely, but the liberty-loving American in me ultimately regains control. I live on a fairly busy street in a small city, and I pick up dozens of butts from my lawn every week. Every, single, week -- and I curse smokers the whole time.

I can deal with the smoke, but picking up other people's gargabe drives me nuts.

And the smoker who doesn't throw his butts to the ground is the exception, rather than the rule. I've witnessed every smoker I've ever known throw a butt down.

[chrisser]

And the smoker who doesn't throw his butts to the ground is the exception, rather than the rule. I've witnessed every smoker I've ever known throw a butt down

I'm a former smoker. Possibly more considerate than most.

But consider in the last several years, public ashtrays all but disappeared. Putting a cigarette butt in an outdoor trash receptacle is a dangerous practice - it could easily start a fire. You can't bring the butts inside anymore to dispose of them - the smoke nazis would raise holy hell from the smell.

Sadly, the only option is to toss them on the ground.

For most smokers, the only place they can smoke without offending someone, somewhere, is their car. If they're the only driver, the ashtray is an option, but assuredly if they are not, other non-smoking drivers will find the scent of cigarette butts in an ashtray offensive - the residual smell of smoking is bad enough, but old butts are far worse.

I'm not excusing the behavior, or condoning smoking. Most smokers earnestly want to quit - usually after it's too late to easily do so. They don't want to litter on top of it, but these days, given all the ways a smoker runs afoul of someone's sensibilities, butt littering is probably the least of several evils they have to choose between.