What is idling?

Idling is where a vehicle’s engine is left running whilst the vehicle is parked and / or stationary. Idling emits unnecessary toxic fumes into the environment which are linked to severe health issues including cancer, respiratory issues and heart disease. It’s also bad for the environment and wastes precious natural resources (not to mention increases your weekly petrol cost!)

The problem is worse around schools where children’s lungs are more sensitive to the toxic fumes emitted whilst idling.

What can the school do?

There are a number of resources available that schools can use to help prevent idling outside the school gates:

• Tips for running a ‘No Idling’ campaign [PDF]
• Incorporate ‘No Idling’ activities into lesson plans [PDF]
• Incorporate the ‘No Idling’ message into assemblies
• Run a ‘No Idling’ Banner Competition [PDF]
• Create a ‘No Idling’ pledge [Word]

Busting the Myths

• “But I need to keep the car running to keep my engine warm!” FALSE: it takes nearly 1 hour for an engine to cool down!
• “Turning the car on / off uses more petrol than just leaving it running.” FALSE: Just 30 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine!
• “Walking and cycling is much worse because of all the traffic fumes.” FALSE: When driving you actually breath in all the fumes from the car exhaust in front!