It's pretty shameful that many of us still need to be reminded not to throw a lit cigarette butt out of a vehicle.
It's especially shameful that people are still doing so in rural or forested areas at a time when the landscape is tinder-dry.
Yet fire officials say discarded cigarette butts are still one of the primary causes of such fires.
Counties in nearly three-quarters of the province have fire restrictions or prohibitions in place.
And, as of the afternoon of May 13, dozens of wildfires were burning in the province, several out of control, and two communities were under evacuation orders.
In the Olds area alone, fire personnel have responded to nearly 25 wildfires since May 1.
Think about the lives and property put at risk, the money it takes to fight the fires and the time firefighting volunteers put in before flicking that butt.
Use an ashtray or bring a bottle or can with water inside if you have to smoke and drive at the same time to extinguish cigarettes.
Otherwise, you're just contributing to the risk of a scorched landscape.
