Antiidling Campaign
There are two major reasons for an anti-idling campaign — health and the environment. It’s a behavior change campaign which is helping to reduce local air pollution caused by motorists who leave their engines running when parked. It’s a joint effort of us gathered here to educate both motorists and pedestrians to join our campaign and help improve air quality.
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Just one minute of idling puts more carbon monoxide into the air than smoking 3 packs of cigarettes. Idling fumes are linked to asthma, decreased lung function, cardiac disease, cancer and other serious health problems. Plus, most people don’t realize that exposure to many air pollutants is much higher inside their cars than along the roadside. Inside a vehicle, the carbon monoxide levels can reach up to 7 times the outside air level.
Air pollution is a serious concern for child health, as it can stunt lung growth and affect lung capacity, because children breathe 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults.
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Idling near school grounds may increase concentrations of air pollutants in those areas. And combating this is particularly important in locations where there are high numbers of idling vehicle engines, such as outside schools and kindergartens but also around hospitals and by bus stops. The Idle Free Schools Toolkit was designed to help schools implement idling reduction campaigns and reduce unnecessary vehicle idling. The Toolkit includes information fliers both for children and their parents and teachers and signage (like the one you see behind me) that encourage drivers to respect the Idling free zone around school and kindergarten compounds.
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Also, Idling cars seriously pollute environment. Only five minutes of idling each day emits 11 kg of air pollution and 120 kg of carbon dioxide each year, contributing to global warming. The average driver wastes 1 to 2 tanks of gas each year from idling. Not only is it a waste of money, it’s hard on your vehicle. Idling can lead to expensive repairs.
We conducted a research of driver behavior and have shared the No Idling message with over 1.000 drivers throughout Montenegro, and 75% said they idle but when presented with risks 80% of them have pledged not to idle in the future. When approached in a friendly way, and when presented with facts about how idling and air pollution affect health, most drivers switch off their engines and many pledge never to idle again.
Podgorica is not the only one fuming about the idling fumes. Many cities and municipalities have passed anti-idling ordinances. In Switzerland, it’s illegal to sit in traffic with the engine on when waits can be expected to last more than 30 seconds. Other countries have followed suit with anti-idling regulations, including United States, England, Italy, Germany, Taiwan, and Japan.
So, our message to drivers in Montenegro would be:
-Turn your engine off if you are stopping for more than 20 seconds, except in traffic.
-Stop idling at school drop-off zones.
-Unnecessary vehicle idling isn’t good for our health, our air, wallets, or cars.
-Spread the word to family and friends.