Safety · Paris and Bordeaux
17% of French smokers admit tossing cigarette butts from car windows as wildfires burn 117,000 hectares
An Ipsos BVA survey for the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation finds 17% of smokers discard butts on motorways, a habit the foundation calls 'alarming' as over 14,000 fires have scorched 117,000 hectares in France this season.
AI text based on reports by RFI, Ouest France, Le Figaro.fr and other publishers. Published . How it is made
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In brief
An Ipsos BVA survey of 2,279 people found 17% of French smokers admit throwing cigarette butts from their vehicle on the motorway.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported over 14,000 fires have devastated 117,000 hectares since the start of the season, with risk still 'extremely high'.
The same survey shows 87% of French people consider a butt thrown from a vehicle a major fire risk, and 33% have already been affected by a forest fire.
A negligently discarded butt causing a fatal fire can be punished by up to ten years in prison and a €150,000 fine under French law.
The survey findings
A survey conducted online by Ipsos BVA for the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation between 19 and 23 June, sampling 2,279 people aged 16 to 75 representative of the French population, found that 17% of smokers admit to throwing their cigarette butt out of their vehicle window while on the motorway. The foundation, in its 12th annual summer study on how the French manage their waste during holiday travel, described these behaviours as 'alarming'.
“The consequences potentially dramatic of a simple act of negligence, like throwing a cigarette butt.”
Fire season toll
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned on Thursday 30 July that the fire risk remains 'extremely high', despite an improvement, notably in the Gironde region. He stated that more than 14,000 fires have been recorded since the start of the season, burning 117,000 hectares. The interior and ecological transition ministries report that 90% of forest fires are of human origin, and more than half are caused by carelessness or risky behaviour.
Public awareness grows
Awareness of the danger is rising: 87% of French people consider that throwing a butt from a vehicle window 'presents a major risk of starting a fire'. One third of respondents (33%) say they have already been affected, directly or indirectly, by a forest fire, and 60% consider it likely they will suffer the consequences of such a disaster in the coming years.
Legal framework
French law does not prohibit smoking in a car, except when a minor is on board or when holding a cigarette prevents the driver from 'driving safely'. Since 2023, however, smoking in forested areas during fire-risk periods has been banned. A negligently discarded butt that causes a fire can lead to criminal penalties, up to ten years in prison and a fine of €150,000 in the most serious cases involving fatalities.
- Smokers who toss butts from car
- 17 %
- See butt-tossing as major fire risk
- 87 %
- Already affected by forest fire
- 33 %
- Expect to be affected in coming years
- 60 %
Data from the article text
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Sources and context
- RFIIncêndios na França: um em cada cinco fumantes joga bituca de cigarro pela janela do carro, mostra pesquisa
- Ouest FranceLa question du jour. Jeter sa cigarette par la fenêtre du véhicule : ce geste doit-il être plus sévèrement puni ?
- Le Figaro.frMégots jetés par les fenêtres : pourquoi n'y a-t-il plus de cendriers dans les voitures ?
- Ouest FrancePrès d'un fumeur français sur cinq admet jeter son mégot par la fenêtre en voiture, un risque d'incendie majeur
- Laurent Nuñez
- French Interior Minister who warned on 30 July 2026 that fire risk remains 'extremely high' and reported 117,000 hectares burned.
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