Be a smarter, and greener, winter driver

We all have our pet peeves, and this one is a winter perennial.

Cars running with no one in them; cars running with people in them but not going or preparing to go anywhere – they’re annoying, they stink, they waste fossil fuels, and they dump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Some people do it to get the interior of the car warm. Others find it convenient to use a remote starter, or perhaps think that cars need to warm up before being driven.

Choices, convenience, environmental impact, and the larger effect of each individual’s decisions are worth considering.

Fill up on a few facts, and find out if you are driven to turn the key and be idle free.

An idling car gets zero (0) miles to the gallon.

Idling just 10 minutes a day every day for a year uses more than 27 gallons of fuel, according to figures from Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency.

Idling even two minutes uses the same amount of fuel as driving about one mile; letting a vehicle idle for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting the engine. In fact, it uses as much fuel as traveling five miles, according to the California Energy Commission.

Restarting instead of idling has much less impact on the engine, the starter motor and the battery according to data reported on http://idlefreevt.org as collected from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.

Fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource. Conserving not only saves money, it saves resources for future use. Additionally, less idling leads to less noise pollution.

Less burning of fuels means less exhaust and pollution containing carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene and several other toxic chemicals that impair our lungs and heart.

Less idling means fewer emissions, which have been linked to asthma symptoms, cardiopulmonary disease, and lung cancer, according to Mid-America Regional Council. At-risk individuals include children, the elderly, and individuals with asthma, although no one likes to breathe in exhaust and it can be doing none of us any good.

The facts speak for themselves, but there are a few more things to keep in mind when switching over to an active lifestyle from an idle one. Many communities across the continent are promoting “Idle Free” zones and habits. Vermont’s “Idle Free VT” program, Idle Free Utah and Canada’s federal Idle-Free Zone have many tips for folks making the switch.

Practice the 10 - 30 rule: Turn off the engine when parked or stopped (except in traffic) for more than 10 seconds. Reduce vehicle warm-up idling to 30 seconds or less, even in subfreezing temperatures. Vehicles only need 30 seconds of idling time in order to circulate the oil and ‘warm up,’ even in cold temperatures.

Remember, the best way to warm up a car is to drive it.

If it’s too cold to sit in a parked vehicle with the engine off, seek warmth inside a building if at all possible.

Dress for the weather and be prepared with window scrapers.

Consider using spray de-icer or make a solution with half water and half vinegar in a spray bottle. If necessary, scrape/de-ice and clear the vehicle off first. Then, start the engine, immediately blast the defroster, and go in 30 seconds. Start out slowly to moderately to get the lubricants flowing.

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