A small gesture with potentially devastating consequences. As France continues to battle violent wildfires that have already scorched 117,000 hectares this season, a significant number of citizens are still engaging in a dangerous habit. According to a new Ipsos BVA poll for the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation, 17% of smokers admit to throwing their cigarette butt out of their vehicle window while driving on the highway.
The survey, published on Friday, July 31, paints an alarming picture of persistent incivility on the roads, even as the country remains on high alert for fires. The data shows that 32% of smokers do not use a portable ashtray during their journeys. The findings come despite a stark warning from Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who stated on Thursday that the risk of wildfires remains “extremely important,” noting that over 14,000 fires have been recorded since the start of the season.
High Awareness, Persistent Negligence
Paradoxically, public awareness of the danger is high. The study found that 87% of French people consider throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle window to be a “major risk for starting a fire.” Furthermore, a third of respondents (33%) declare they have already been affected, directly or indirectly, by a forest fire, and 60% believe it is likely they will suffer the consequences in the years to come.
Despite this ecological awakening, incivility persists. The survey reveals that nearly one in four French people (24%) still admits to throwing trash out of their car window on highway, a proportion that has increased compared to 2025. A staggering 18% believe that “it’s not a big deal” to throw a small piece of litter from a car on the highway. This behavior is even more pronounced in public spaces, where more than one in three French people admit to littering on the ground, a figure that jumps to nearly one in two (46%) among those under 35.
Legal Consequences and Human Origins
While smoking in a car is not generally banned by French law unless a minor is present or it impedes safe driving, specific regulations target the fire risk. Since 2023, smoking in forests has been prohibited during periods of wildfire risk. The act of discarding a butt that causes an unintentional fire carries severe criminal penalties, including up to ten years in prison and a €150,000 fine in the most serious cases involving loss of life.
The stakes are undeniably high. According to the Ministries of the Interior and Ecological Transition, 90% of forest fires are of human origin, and more than half are caused by carelessness or dangerous behavior. The survey, conducted online from June 19 to 23 among 2,279 people representative of the French population aged 16 to 75, serves as a brutal reminder of the potential catastrophic results of a simple act of negligence.
