Drive Wisely: Helpful Habits to Reduce Pollution

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has prepared this fact sheet to answer

some of the most common questions about reducing emissions from private

vehicles.

This is an important concern, as cars are a major source of air pollution

in the United States. Vehicle emissions contribute to health and environmental problems such as urban smog, air toxics, and global warming.

Yet individual driving habits make a big difference in the amount of pollution a car produces.

Three easy things you can do to help keep emissions as low as possible are:

• Avoid unnecessary driving

• Maintain your car properly

• Drive your car wisely

By combining these strategies, you can very effectively reduce the amount your

car pollutes. And there are additional benefits — your car will last longer and

you will save money.

Even a perfectly maintained car will pollute more than necessary if it is driven carelessly.

Your car’s emissions will be lower if you apply common sense to your driving

and follow basic rules of the road. Driving situations likely to increase pollution include:

IDLING: You will save gas by turning the engine off and restarting it again if you

expect to idle for more than 30 seconds. You will also prevent pollution by avoiding

long idles. Try parking your car and going into restaurants, banks, and the like instead

of idling in drive-up lanes.

STOP-and-GO DRIVING: Driving in traffic is not always avoidable. But whenever

possible, plan trips outside rush hour and peak traffic periods. Try to "smooth" your

driving by accelerating and decelerating gradually, anticipating stops and starts for

traffic lights, changing traffic speeds, and so on.

AIR CONDITIONING: Use of a vehicle air conditioner increases load on the engine.

This can increase emissions and decrease fuel economy. Try opening the window or

the fresh air vent to cool the inside of your vehicle. Also, park in the shade if you can

to prevent the car from heating up in the sun. Besides keeping the interior temperature

of your car more comfortable, you will lessen the pollution and waste that occurs

when gasoline evaporates from the engine and gas tank.

HIGH ENGINE LOADS: Your car burns more gas and emits more pollution when the engine is operating under high load; that is, when it is working especially hard. Extra load is created by running the air conditioner, quick accelerations, high-speed driving, climbing grades, revving the engine, and carrying extra weight.

COLD TEMPERATURES: Emission control systems take longer to warm up and

become fully operational in cold weather. However, idling will not help. Modern

vehicles need little warmup; they’re most efficient when being driven. Idling for long

periods in cold weather can actually cause excessive engine wear.

REFUELING: Spilled gasoline pollutes the air when it evaporates. Watch what you

do at the gas station to prevent spills and overfills. It’s best to avoid "topping off,"

especially in hot weather. Apply the same precautions against sloppy handling when

refueling outdoor power equipment such as lawnmowers and outboard motors.