To the editor,
Don’t idle. Be driven to do the right thing: Turn your vehicle off if you’re not actually driving. Did you know that there is a five-minute idle law in this state? It’s illegal to idle your car or truck longer than that. Why waste gas or put more unnecessary exhaust fumes into the air? Your vehicle is not your living room. It doesn’t need to be warmed up or cooled down to suit the outside temperatures. Dress accordingly, and in a very few driving moments, your car will be comfortable.
I share the air with you. Please be respectful of our environment. Thank you.
Susan Jones
Vineyard Haven
Thank you Susan for bringing this up.
Feel free to politely ask people to turn their engines off.
I often ask them , and usually they do it without an argument.
But be ready to have some responses if they push back.
Here are a few factoids.
Mass general law (mgl) chapter 19 section 16 a is the statute for idling
it is true that it uses more gas to start a car than leave it running– 11 seconds worth.
An average car uses a little less then a quart of gas per hour when idling. 10 minutes a day will use about a full tank of gas a year.
Those diesel trucks you see idling use about 1/2 gallon per hour.
Diesel exhaust is a known carcinogen.
It is not harmful for a diesel engine to stop and start. In fact, idling produces carbon buildup in the engine which can be harmful to the engine.
And let’s not forget that the brave men and women of our armed services put their lives on the line to insure the free flow of oil around the world.
https://www.boston.gov/idle-free-boston
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