Follow the 10-Second Rule & Stop Idling Your Car!

Idling your car. Warming up the engine. It's an old habit that's hard to break. But today there are three good reasons to stop idling that engine.

Idling your engine wastes gas

It impairs the efficiency of your engine

And, it emits additional greenhouse gases

In the old days, we were trained to trudge outside on cold mornings and start up the car to warm the engine for our long journey throughout the day. But, that old myth just doesn't hold true anymore. Today's newer car engines are made in such a way that letting an engine run for more than 10 seconds actually damages the engine, and of course blows carbon emissions throughout the environment, hurting our wallets because of the wasted gas, and hurting our overall health all at the same time.

Most medium or large cities are filled with opportunities to idle, from drive-through restaurants, to drive-through banking and pharmacy's to pick up and drop off places for schools and community events.

And, most people really believe that restarting an engine uses up more gas than actually letting the car idle while sitting in line waiting for that Big Mac, bottle of cold medicine or little Ty'oin.
The truth is that after 10 seconds of idling all a driver is really doing is wasting gas and harming the engine, along with shooting carbon emissions into the air and wasting money.

It has been my experience in the city that I call home that a lack of education is more the culprit when it comes to idling than laziness. It is also true that saving money is a firm motivator in this area of the country than a concern for greenhouse gas emissions.

The Hinkle Charitable Foundations discusses this central concept in saving money in its article, "Anti-Idling Primer: Every Minute Counts"

"Estimates of the amount of time we voluntarily idle each day we drive range from 5 to 10 minutes per car. In just 5 minutes of idling we can burn
between a half and a whole cup of gasoline, depending on engine size. Over the course of a year this adds up on average
to as much as 10 to 20 gallons of gas.

By not voluntarily idling 5 minutes per day, we can save between about $30 and
over $60 per year per vehicle, assuming a price of $3.15 per gallon of gas.
In addition to these direct savings, to estimate the total financial impact of reducing voluntary idling, two additional factors must be added in.

First, as noted above, wear and tear costs from the increase in engine restarts need to be considered.

Second, there is also the reduced fuel efficiency and possibly shorter engine life that result from voluntary idling.

For the average personal vehicle (car, SUV, and light truck) for the average mileage driven for each vehicle type, the estimated reduced efficiency results in an additional $42 to $83 per year in fuel costs." (Hinkle Charitable Foundation, 2010)

So, the next time you find yourself waiting in line at McDonald's, patiently sitting in your car to get that antibiotic, or waiting for little Truth to come out the door from Kindergarten, think about that 10 second rule.

Wait ten seconds and turn off the car, it will make all the difference.