Keep it clean! Old Habits Die Hard
Posted on Tue, Mar 09, 2010 @ 11:53 AM
The month of March started off with a startling discovery for me. I was on my way to work, nothing out of the ordinary. The commute to and from work is usually my time to think of what all I have to get done, think through my daily list of what I want to get accomplished. I finished my cigarette as I was sitting at a red light, and without giving it a second thought (or even much of a first), flicked the butt out the window. As the light turned green and traffic started moving, the County Sheriff who was right behind me turned on his lights. I thought, “What did I do? I wasn’t even moving!” as I pulled over to the shoulder past the light. The officer, without introduction or explanation, requested my license and registration. I handed him my documents and he proceeded to his car. I was still oblivious as to why he stopped me. When he returned to my window he handed me my documents along with a ticket. He stated that he was ticketing me for littering, for flicking my cigarette butt out the window. Yes, I know that it is. Yes, I know that smoking is a nasty habit….. All that is for another blog….
Later that day I got the bigger shock. The ticket carries a fine of $132.00! Having smoked for years, driving several hundred thousand miles, I couldn’t begin to calculate how many cigarette butts I have sent out the window. The message that littering is against the law rang pretty loud when the clerk told me the total of the fine. Even though it is somewhat of an embarrassment, it brings up a good point.
Over the years, the large majority of drivers I have met smoke. The common practice of flicking the butt out the window becomes a mindless habit when driving. My motto has been “There is only one thing constant… Change”. Today’s environment is a product of previous bad habits. Yes I do agree that I must do my part to clean it up and keep it clean. It is usually the small things that make the most difference. The small things that cause you the most irritation. The small things that accumulate to make up big problems.
This message is a word of warning to us smokers as well as a thought-provoking topic. The small thing, a cigarette butt, when accumulated with several others makes a big mess. We all need to do our part to take care of the small things, the attention to detail, for everyone’s benefit as well as our own.
Written by Mark Andersen, On-Site Manager Area Transportation