Take Action: Anti-Idling
The single
source of pollutants that can cause unnecessary ground level ozone
pollution comes from the unnecessary idling of vehicles.
It is also the single source that every driver can reduce and
thereby improve the quality of our air.
Walking
and biking to work creates zero pollutants. Give it a
try if you can.
What
is unnecessary idling and what is the break-even point for idling
a vehicle?
Unnecessary
idling is anytime your engine is running and you are not moving
AND you are not engaged in traffic. The break-even point
for idling a vehicle is 10 seconds. If you idle you vehicle
for 10 seconds, you have consumed more fuel than it takes to restart
the engine.
The most
common places where unnecessary idling occurs are:
- at any
drive-thru window
- while
warming up your car, especially in the winter
- while
waiting to pick up a passenger
How can
the average driver reduce or eliminate their unnecessary idling?
By making a few simple changes in how they drive their car.
- Don't
use a drive-thru window. Park your car and walk into the
place of business.
- A well
maintained vehicle only needs 30 seconds to warm up, even in winter.
The best way to warm up a car is to drive it. If you are
using your defroster to clear your windshield, try using a little
elbow grease.
- If you
are waiting to pick up a passenger, turn off your engine.
Besides
polluting the air, unnecessarily idling is hard on the vehicle.
An idling vehicle will not operate as efficiently as one being
driven. This will produce a larger portion of pollutants
and cause wear and tear on the vehicle. A vehicle that idles
for 5 minutes per day, will have idled for for over 30 hours in
the course of a year. At 45 miles per hour, a vehicle could
drive over 1,300 miles in that time. Thirty hours of idling
gives you zero miles per gallon. Remember, idling gets you
nowhere.
|