The home affairs ministry said Tuesday the government will toughen the punishment for motorists throwing cigarette butts out of car windows as part of efforts to boost public safety.

Under the revised bill approved by the Cabinet in the day, those who throw such objects deemed dangerous as cigarette butts and pieces of glass out of car windows will face a fine of 50,000 won ($44), up from the current amount of 30,000 won.

The revised rule will take effect starting Sept. 12, according to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security.

Along with the terms of the fine, the government decided to give 10 penalty points to violators. More than 40 penalty points accumulated in one year result in the suspension of a driver’s license, and over 120 points in its nullification, according to the law.

“When conducting a special crackdown on such wrongdoings with police in July and August, we caught nearly 5,000 such cases. We hope the revision will help drivers recognize even small things can cause harm if they are thrown out of the window of a moving car,” a ministry official said. (Yonhap News)