Recently, I stumbled across a Facebook post from XL Country, a local radio station, that once again got me all whooped up about idling. The guy posting asked the question “How Long Should You Let Your Vehicle Warm Up in Montana Winters?” and provided a link to the station’s website where you could read his full article.
The piece starts off by saying, (Emphasis added), “Did you know that there are several states where letting your car warm up on a cold winter's day is against the law? In fact, the majority of states across the U.S. have such laws in place. The reason, it helps the environment. Luckily for us, Montana isn't part of that group.”
Although he dispelled the misconception that it’s necessary to let your car warm up before driving it and correctly states that 30 seconds is okay before driving off, he goes on to say, “I'm a fan of getting into a warm car on a cold day so much so that I made sure to install a remote car starter on mine.”
The author concludes his piece by saying, (Emphasis added) “Some of you might think that I hate the planet and that's not true. I love the planet, but what I hate is sitting in a cold car more.”
Several people joined in the conversation on Facebook and the consensus seems to be that it’s just fine to let your car idle between 10 and 30 minutes before driving off. Some respondents even said the proper time to warm up a car is “as long as you want.”
Idling is bad enough but article, along with the social media comments in response, had me close to losing my cool. I wanted to add my thoughts to the thread but hated the idea of engaging in a social media spat. I considered going the polite route by encouraging everyone to “join me in going idle-free,” but that still seemed too confrontational. Instead, I simmered for a while before I got around to posting my thoughts here.
Idling is Not a Montana Value
People are eager to talk about “Montana Values” during election seasons. Montana Senator Steve Daines even has a section of his website devoted to the topic where he talks about his “respect for life” and his interest in working “to encourage healthy and stable families.”
We hear folks saying repeatedly how nice and considerate Montanans are. Montana is the kind of place where residents pride themselves in being friendly and quick to help one another out. Montana's fresh mountain air, clean water, and clear skies are some of our state's best features, and residents consider themselves lucky to live someplace that places a high value one preserving the natural environment. All of these characteristics are what contributes to Montana’s wonderful "quality of life."
While these points are valid, I don’t see how the waste and pollution that result from idling play into Montana Values, help our environment, or increase anyone’s quality of life. Considering the harms of idling, are we really being nice to one another if we allow our cars to idle? What is the noise from an idling car and stinky stuff it emits doing to the beautiful, peaceful environment we cherish? Montanans like to think of themselves as rugged people, but it doesn’t sound very rugged if you can’t drive off in a cold car or get into a warm one during the summer.
There are the things I hoped to mention in response to the XL Country story, but I didn’t want to spend my time condensing my message down to sound-bite size so it could be heard over the noise on Facebook. If I had taken the nice route, I would have presented the following three reasons I encouraged everyone to join me in goin g idle-free.
1) Idling is bad for the environment. Idling emits of carbon dioxide into the air, which contributes to climate change.
2) Idling cars are noisy and emit harmful chemicals, gases, and particles into the air. This exhaust can aggravate those with asthma and allergies and can be especially harmful to children.
3) It’s wasteful.
Read more about the harms of idling
Here are a few places to go to read more about the harms of idling. I have included some highlights from the links. As always, feel free to add your thoughts to the conversation by posting in the comments. And share any resources you may have.
Be Idle Free Utah - I love it how they get right to the point: “Idling your vehicle gets you nowhere. It increases our dependence on petroleum, reduces the fuel economy of your vehicle, costs you money, emits pollutants, and wastes precious natural resources … When you make an effort to turn your vehicle off, you are doing something good for yourself, your finances, your environment, and your community.”
Modern Cars Don’t Need to Idle
Advances in vehicle technology have eliminated much of the need for idling…. Computerized controls in today’s vehicles bring the engine and catalyst up to their operating temperatures more quickly when the vehicle is moving than when it is idling…Today’s gasoline and diesel vehicles alike do not suffer damage from turning the key on and off. Starters and batteries are much more durable than people believed they were in the past.
Consider Your Circumstances
Most idling can be avoided… If the temperature is moderate, it is a good idea to turn off the engine. This is especially important while waiting to pick up schoolchildren because parents’ idling vehicles can impact air quality. Since children’s lungs are more susceptible to damage than adult’s lungs, unnecessary idling around schools can exacerbate childhood asthma and other respiratory ailments.
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality:
Idling causes air pollution
An idling vehicle releases harmful chemicals, gases and particle pollution ("soot") into the air, contributing to ozone, regional haze, and global climate change. Every gallon of gas burned produces more than 20 pounds of greenhouse gases.
Idling is unhealthy for you and me!
The pollution in exhaust can aggravate asthma and allergies, as well as cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Higher levels of air pollution have been linked to increased school absences, hospital visits, and even premature deaths. Vehicle emissions are still present and harmful even when you can't see the exhaust. Children are more sensitive to air pollution because they breathe 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults.
Idling wastes fuel and money
For each hour spent idling, a typical light duty truck burns approximately one gallon of diesel fuel, and a typical car wastes 1/5 gallon of gasoline. Idling for 10 seconds uses more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it. Idling is like burning dollar bills!
Utah Clean Cities - If you scroll to the bottom of the Utah Clean Cities webpage, you will find free downloadable resources including idle-free cards, brochures, and signs.
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Read more from my blog:
- Another rant - http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-rant.html
- And a personal dilemma - http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2020/09/woody-allen-confronts-produce-section.html
- You are not what you drive -http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2014/10/you-are-not-what-you-drive.html
I've really noticed the ubiquity of idling with no particular reason just in the past 4 or 5 years. Wasting money was not usual amonst hard working folks, nor was being afraid of a few minutes of minor discomfort, until recent times. We've lost our collective edge. Thrift and toughness are clearly on the wane in a lot of places. Posturing and laziness, however, are easily found.
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