Why You Should Turn Off Your Idling Car Engine

Idling means that a vehicle’s engine is running but the vehicle itself is not in motion. This is one of the oldest habits in motor vehicles and it is quite detrimental to the environment. Drivers might be forced to idle their vehicles in traffic but in most cases, idling is not necessary and has its own evils. Though it is a habit that most people have got used to, they can break it easily especially if they understand how harmful it can be to the vehicle and to the environment.

The Harmful Nature Of An Idling Vehicle

Idling is responsible for the increase of exhaust gases in the environment. The burning of fossil fuels in the vehicle’s engine results in exhaust gases which are responsible for a number of ailments such as lung diseases, asthma, increased cancer risks, heart ailments among many others. Apart from affecting the human body, these gases are also dangerous to the environment since they contain carbon dioxide, which is the main gas that causes global warming and climatic changes that cause disasters.

When your vehicle is idling, you are burning fuel that is not being used for anything important. This simply means that you are wasting a lot of fuel and thus a lot of money. Fuel costs a lot of money and it is only important that you save it in efforts to save your hard earned cash.

How To Break The Idling Habit

If you are waiting for more than 10 seconds, turn off the vehicles engine. As opposed to popular belief, restarting your car will not consume more fuel than leaving it idle. The truth of the matter is that your car will guzzle more fuel when idling as opposed to restarting it after the period you have to wait.

Warm up the vehicle via driving as opposed to idling. A lot of people believe that idling the vehicle will warm up the car better than driving. Well, the vehicles we have today use advanced technology such that they will warm up as you drive. You just need to ease into the road and avoid revving up the engine excessively. Your vehicle will warm up faster when you drive and you will not waste fuel idling.

If you want to warm up the interior, you do not have to idle your vehicle. Driving has the ability to warm up your car twice as fast when compared to idling. In some cases, idling the car and waiting in it for the cabin to heat up might lead to inhalation of the toxic exhaust gases that might leak into the cabin. Protect your health and drive slowly into the drive way and your cabin will be heated up pretty fast.

Unlike the older vehicles, new technology vehicles can handle frequent restarts without any damages. The overall engine wear caused by idling and the fuel used during this period cannot be compared to the minor wears to the battery that might cost you a negligible amount of money in a year.

A simple turn of your car keys can save your health and that of other people, save the environment and ultimately save you a boat load of money otherwise spent on idling fuel.