Anti-Idling Laws

19 Apr Anti-Idling Laws

Do you ever have a day that seems like you haven’t had a minute to yourself? Well, Irene had one of those days. She was pulling into her last client’s office before going home, scrambling to make dinner, bring her daughter to basketball practice, and picking her son up from hockey to only come home to a house full of her other daughter’s friends who were over for a sleepover. Irene was exhausted and she knew it was going to be a busy night. Before going into the office, she sat in her large Suburban with the AC on for 10 minutes. A week later, she received a violation in the mail.

The facts about idling

Did you know that every day Americans waste approximately 3.8 million gallons of fuel every day by idling in their vehicles? And how many people actually know there are anti-idling laws? Did you know that there are penalties for idling in a vehicle? For example:

• In Massachusetts, if your vehicle is idling for more than 5 minutes you could be fined $100 for your first offense and up to $500 for each succeeding offense.
• There is a 3-minute limit in Connecticut and fines up to $5,000.
• A first time violation in New York could bring you a fine of $15,000.
• In other extreme cases, like in Colorado, a violation could carry a $1,000 fine and/or 1-year imprisonment!

Reasons to turn off your idling car

1. It saves money and gas – For each hour spent idling, a car wastes about 1/5 of a gallon of gasoline while a typical truck burns about one gallon of diesel fuel.
2. It makes the air healthier – Breathing fumes can aggravate asthma, allergies, and cardiovascular disease.
3. It helps the environment – Every gallon of gas burned produces more than 20 pounds of greenhouse gases, which contribute to haze, acid rain and global climate change. An idling vehicle emits 20 times more pollution than one traveling at 30 miles per hour!
4. It’s good for your engine – Frequent restarts are no longer hard on your car’s engine and battery. Idling can cause damage to the engine components and cause higher maintenance costs over time. And did you know that cars warm up more efficiently when they’re driving than sitting in a driveway.

So the next time you’re out and about, try to keep track of how often you idle in your car. You will find opportunities to turn off the car. Not only will you be helping our environment but you could also prevent a fine from coming your way.

HUB is glad to answer your questions. Give us a call: 833-GoCallHUB.