Turn the key, be idle free! Tuck this catchy little phrase in the back of your mind and let it remind you to turn off the engine in your vehicle any time you are going to be stopped for more than a few moments. You’ll save fuel, protect your engine and reduce vehicle emissions which pollute our air and harm our water.
Idling gets you nowhere. While most of us are seeking ways to maximize our gas mileage for the sake of our wallets and our health, the fact that an idling vehicle gets ZERO miles per gallon has largely escaped our notice. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if 145 million passenger vehicles idle for five minutes a day, approximately four million gallons of gasoline are consumed. That’s a lot of gas, and money, to waste!
An idling car does not perform at full capacity, which can lead to problems that require sometimes expensive repairs. The problems can include oil contamination due to residue build-up on the cylinders, corrosion caused by excessive condensation collected in the exhaust system and decreased peak engine operating temperature due to spark plug residue.
Diesel and gasoline exhaust contain nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The negative health implications of exposure to vehicle emissions are well documented and have been shown to cause significant respiratory and cardiovascular health effects. Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution, because they inhale more air per pound of body weight – think about this the next time you see a line of vehicles idling as drivers wait to drop off or pick up students near a school, and consider the fact that the noses of the youngest children are right above the level of all those tailpipes. How can they help but breathe in toxic air?
The microscopic particles from vehicle emissions can be carried by wind and settle on the ground and on the surface of water bodies such as lakes, ponds and streams. This can make lakes and streams acidic, change the delicate balance of nutrients in coastal waters and river basins, deplete soil nutrients and damage vegetative communities from forests to farm crops.
Here in New Jersey, it is illegal to idle for more than 3 minutes. Limited exceptions to N.J.A.C. 7:27-14 (diesel vehicles) and N.J.A.C. 7:27-15 (gasoline vehicles) exist. Sleeping in trucks with sleeper berths is currently allowed, although this exemption will be eliminated in 2010, and idling of emergency vehicles operating in emergency situations is allowed. The three minute limit is quite generous, and URWA encourages drivers across the Upper Raritan watershed to limit idling to ten seconds or less unless traffic conditions make stopping and starting your engine unsafe.
For more information about vehicle idling and the damage it can do to your health and our natural environment, please visit one or more of the following web sites:
· http://www.stopthesoot.org/ (the NJDEP’s Diesel Risk Reduction Program)
· www.cleanwateraction.org/feature/clean-air-idle-free-new-jersey (the Clean Water Action’s "Idle Free New Jersey" Campaign
· www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/idling.html (the Consumer Energy Center of the California Energy Commission.
Many people believe several myths about idling their vehicles. Research by government and vehicle manufacturers has debunked these three common myths:
Idling Myth #1: The engine should be warmed up for long periods before driving.
Reality: Idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to do this is to drive the vehicle. With today’s modern engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling before starting to drive.
Idling Myth #2: Idling is good for your engine.
Reality: Excessive idling can damage your engine’s components, including cylinders, spark plugs and exhaust system.
Idling Myth #3: Shutting off and restarting your engine is hard on the engine and uses more gas than if you leave it running.
Reality: Frequent restarting has little impact on engine components such as the battery and starter motor. More than 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine.
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