Aussie driver caught in dangerous act risking $790 fine: 'It's not hard'
Smokers are being warned to dispose of butts appropriately and not to tempt fate, as bushfire conditions sweep across large parts of the country.
Australians are being reminded of the hefty fines in place if they're caught dropping a lit cigarette on the ground, particularly as bushfire conditions sweep the nation, after a viral social media video caught one east coast driver in the act.
The Victorian motorist was spotted this week flicking a partially lit cigarette onto a packed road in Melbourne, which people online said was "so vile", especially given "there's bins every five metres" across the city. What started a single post attracted an onslaught of responses, with people criticising the potential fire hazard, as well pointing out the impact littering has on wildlife and the environment.
"Lit ciggie out the window — expect a letter from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA)," the original poster wrote beside the footage, which shows a holden driver discarding the cigarette while stopped at a red light.
When it comes to littering, the EPA in Victoria has tough penalties in place, including fines to the tune of almost $800 for smokers caught dumping their cigarette butts. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, the EPA warned that it's strictly forbidden to litter from a car or vehicle, with drivers also responsible for the behaviour of their passengers.
"The video appears to show someone littering, and we encourage the person who witnessed it to officially report it to EPA," a spokesperson told Yahoo. "Smoking can be expensive, but littering can be worse. EPA issues around 10,000 litter fines a year, many of them for cigarette butts.
"Cigarette butts are the most common type of litter. They often find their way through drains and waterways to the bay, and lit cigarettes can cause bushfires if they land among grass or bush."
Existing fines in the state for littering range from $395 up to almost $4000.
An individual can be slapped with a $395 fine for "a small item of litter such as a cigarette butt or food packaging" or $790 for a lit cigarette or other "dangerous" goods.
Similarly, for a corporation fines of $1,976 are in place for small items. Fines for businesses extend to $3952 for a lit cigarette or other dangerous litter.
Aussie's blast 'grubby' act on busy Melbourne road
Online, Australians criticised what was described as "grubby" behaviour from the Melbourne driver. "As a smoker, this kind of behaviour sh*ts me," one person commented. "You literally have a portable bin with you (your smoke packet). It's not hard to flick an ember off, kill it, then put your butt back in the box."
"Imagine if this was peak summer, 40C, and out in the regional towns where it's absolutely dry and overgrown as sh*t — a lit/discarded cig is all it takes for it to go up in flames," said another.
Firefighters say there have been multiple instances of bush and grassfires starting this way in recent years. Back in November last year, Yahoo reported on one example of what could have become a "potential disaster", before a quick-thinking Aussie man sprung into action.
Heatwave conditions sizzle across Australia
This week across the country, several jurisdictions were warned over heatwave conditions, which saw residents in large parts of the country's north and northeast swelter for days on end. The warning has been renewed on Friday, with scorching temperatures expected over the weekend.
Swathes of outback Queensland, from the Gulf Country to northern NSW, are being warned by the Bureau of Meteorology to expect severe heatwave conditions across this coming weekend.
Aussie driver hailed a hero after preventing bushfire 'disaster'
Urgent warning as 45C heatwave prompts 'surge' on Aussie beaches
Areas of the Queensland’s Central and Gulf Country regions are forecast to be the worst affected, with Mount Isa tipped to reach a blistering 43 degrees, staying above 40 well into next week. Further south, Longreach is forecast to hit a sweltering 44 on Saturday. A warning for severe heatwave conditions is also in place over the weekend in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, from the Kimberley, across Darwin and to the border.
It comes as many of the state capitals are tipped to swelter through a balmy weekend, with Sydney forecast to hit 30 degrees on Friday — 5 degrees hotter than this time last year — before cooling off for Saturday.
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