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Did you know that it’s illegal to leave your engine idling whilst stationary on a public road? I didn’t until seeing it mentioned on the news this morning. This is what the RAC have to say about it:
I’ve always hated seeing (and hearing in the case of diesels) vehicle’s parked up with the engine left idling. I used to think of it as an unnecessary waste of money, but with pollution now being a major issue it’s become even more concerning for me. That concern increased even more with the birth of my daughter four years ago. Seeing all the parents parked up outside schools and leaving their engines running for several minutes whilst they dropped of their sprogs makes me wonder whether it’s because people don’t care or they don’t know what harm they’re doing. I doubt if many, if any, know they’re breaking the law.
The piece on the BBC news this morning talked about encouraging the general public to report people who leave their engines idling by submitting videos to their council, the encouragement being a percentage of any imposed fine. It’s already being done in the USA, in particular New York where the possible fines are massive. Is this the way to tackle this issue or do we just need more education? It strikes me that far too many people aren’t bothered about things that aren’t going to risk them getting fined for. Should we try to do something or should we just not give a toss and carry on as usual, blaming other pollution sources such as ships and planes?
“The issue of engines not being switched off when vehicles are parked is, unbeknownst to many, already an offence.
“Rule 123 of The Highway Code looks at ‘The Driver and the Environment’, stating that drivers must not leave a parked vehicle unattended with the engine running or leave a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road.
“Local authorities have the power to issue £20 fixed penalties for emission offences and stationary idling under The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002.
“However, it is important to note that this is imposed only if a motorist refuses to switch off their engine off when asked to do so by an authorised person.”
“Rule 123 of The Highway Code looks at ‘The Driver and the Environment’, stating that drivers must not leave a parked vehicle unattended with the engine running or leave a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road.
“Local authorities have the power to issue £20 fixed penalties for emission offences and stationary idling under The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002.
“However, it is important to note that this is imposed only if a motorist refuses to switch off their engine off when asked to do so by an authorised person.”
I’ve always hated seeing (and hearing in the case of diesels) vehicle’s parked up with the engine left idling. I used to think of it as an unnecessary waste of money, but with pollution now being a major issue it’s become even more concerning for me. That concern increased even more with the birth of my daughter four years ago. Seeing all the parents parked up outside schools and leaving their engines running for several minutes whilst they dropped of their sprogs makes me wonder whether it’s because people don’t care or they don’t know what harm they’re doing. I doubt if many, if any, know they’re breaking the law.
The piece on the BBC news this morning talked about encouraging the general public to report people who leave their engines idling by submitting videos to their council, the encouragement being a percentage of any imposed fine. It’s already being done in the USA, in particular New York where the possible fines are massive. Is this the way to tackle this issue or do we just need more education? It strikes me that far too many people aren’t bothered about things that aren’t going to risk them getting fined for. Should we try to do something or should we just not give a toss and carry on as usual, blaming other pollution sources such as ships and planes?
