Idling

In this section you will learn about

the problems associated with idling

some solutions to reduce idling

20 Things you should know about idling

How to get and use "Healthy Communities Don’t Idle" signs

How to make your school an idle-free zone with our "Turn Your Key - This School is Idle-Free" presentations for Grades K - 6

You are idling if you keep your engine on while your vehicle is stationary. Many idle unnecessarily each day without thinking twice about the impacts.

On average, Canadian motorists idle their vehicles five to ten minutes a day. Idling wastes fuel, damages engine components, impacts air quality, and contributes to climate change. Idling hits you in the pocketbook, too.

Ten seconds of idling burns more fuel than restarting your engine.

Tailpipe emissions include massive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). The former is responsible for over 60% of the enhanced greenhouse effect, causing climate change. NOx is 200-300 times more effective than CO2 in greenhouse warming and is a major component of smog.

If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada avoided idling for just five minutes, we would prevent more than 6,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

Why do we idle? Often because we're waiting. Waiting for friends and family. Waiting for the last car of the train. Waiting for drive-thru service. Waiting for the vehicle to warm up or cool off. We're not going anywhere, but the engine is still running, generating harmful emissions. Let's shut it off!

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