Let’s bring back ashtrays in cars

Smokers flick butts out of the car window

This is going to sound politically incorrect but with many of the fires in B.C. and Washington state believed to have been human caused, maybe it’s time to bring ashtrays back for automobiles.

You don’t need to be a car buff to remember the days when ashtrays were placed not only near the dashboard but also in every door so that passengers could enjoy puffing their brains out during a Sunday afternoon ride in the countryside. Cars also came equipped with cigarette lighters so that you didn’t have to flick your Bic or stop at Charley’s Convenience for a pack of matches.

As smoking became a societal taboo and dashboards more sophisticated, a slow phasing-out period began.

Depending on the auto maker it varied but ashtrays were gone from most vehicles by the mid-1990s.

By eliminating ashtrays, it was a cost savings (not a significant one) for the automobile manufacturers.

An ashtray that’s filled to the top is also unsightly and stinks. Most non-smokers used them for gum wrappers, used acne pads or a cool place to collect loose change.

It’s still not illegal to smoke and drive although in many cases that can be equally distracting as using a cell phone, which is now illegal. In B.C., you may not smoke in a vehicle if someone under the age of 16 is present.

Some considerations need to be given to smokers even though its now less than 20 per cent of the population.

If they’re driving or riding as a passenger on the highway and having a smoke, what are they going to do with the butt?

A responsible person will have a pop can or coffee cup in the drink holder with enough liquid to extinguish the cigarette. That’s unrealistic. With this being B.C.’s worst wildfire season on record (and still 123 days remaining in 2017), and much of it human-caused, ban smoking in cars and if not, bring back the ashtray.

In Texas you can’t purchase a new car without air conditioning. Safety bags are mandatory in North America. The time has come for legislation that any car sold in British Columbia be equipped with ashtrays.

The logical thing to do is to get tough on those flicking butts out of windows — even in urban areas. But an incredible amount of damage can be done by a single cigarette butt. Bring back the ashtrays. We’re surprised more people haven’t suggested this. It might not be as crazy as it sounds.