Why do Canadians idle?
Warming up or cooling down a vehicle is the most common reason given for idling‚ in the winter and summer. Surveys show that Canadians also idle their vehicles for many other reasons that include: • waiting for passengers • stopping at railway crossings • waiting to park • running quick errands • sitting in drive-through lanes • waiting to refuel or to have the car washed • stopping to talk to an acquaintance or friend • preparing to leave the house Calculations drawn from a Canadian survey of driving habits and behaviour1 suggest that in the peak of winter‚ many Canadian motorists idle their vehicles for about eight minutes a day‚ resulting in a combined total of more than 75 million minutes of idling a day. This day alone uses over 2.2 million litres of fuel and produces over five million kilograms of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and is equal to the amount of fuel required to drive over 1100 vehicles for a year or to idle one vehicle for 144 years!
