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.