What is idling

Sitting in an idling car means you are breathing in more of the dirty exhaust that leaks into the car cabin. Any warmth you may get from a car heater is not worth the damage to your health. If parked and waiting, it is healthier to get out of your car and go inside a store or building. Protect your car engine by idling less. Frequent restarts are no longer hard on a car's engine and battery. Idling actually increases overall engine wear by causing the car to operate for longer than necessary.

Reasons to stop idling A simple turn of your key can keep the air cleaner and save money and fuel. Every time you turn off your car engine in place of idling, you'll: Make the air healthier by cutting down on hazardous pollution in your town or community.

Idling tailpipes spew out the same pollutants as moving cars. These can include driver and passenger comfort, engine warmth, and the need to power electronic equipment or work machinery. Buses, locomotives, and marine vehicles can idle for similar reasons. Light-duty vehicles include passenger cars, livery vehicles such as taxicabs and limousines, pickup trucks and small vans, and police cruisers.

These vehicles typically idle for passenger comfort, engine warmth, and to provide power for accessories and electronic equipment. Medium-duty trucks encompass courier and package delivery trucks and utility trucks, and they typically idle for the same reasons as light-duty vehicles. Medium-duty truck idling may be of short or long duration, depending on the reason s for it.

In some cases, these vehicles idle to support power take off for utility equipment such as lift buckets, pumps, or lighting being used by crews in the air or underground. Not only do you waste gas when you idle, but you also hurt the environment. For every 10 minutes of idling, one pound of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Many people incorrectly believe that turning your engine off and on is worse for your vehicle than idling. Skip to main content.

Part 1 of 2. Apr 4, The Importance of Idle Reduction You may be asking why have we dedicated a blog series on vehicle and fleet idling, the answer is simple — idling is costing you in more ways than you can imagine.