My pet peeve is the pick-up line at school. At pick-up time the line always stretches into traffic from the school driveway. It’s an accident waiting to happen. Both the left and right turn lanes are blocked so long that some parents let their cars idle. Parts of the problem – your child gets in your car, but the five or six cars in front are still waiting for their kids. They’re still in the school. Simple you think, get your kid and drive your car around. You can’t, the whistle lady won’t let you; you must wait for the kids in those five cars – no going around. So you sit, and other kids have to sit on the ground inhaling fumes from idling cars. It’s hot and parents are running the AC, so they don’t turn off their cars.

Letting car idle waste gas, pollutes the air and damages the lungs of our children. Switch off your car. According to the EPA, when you stopped your car for more than 30 seconds turn off your car. Of course don’t turn off the car at the stop light! Environmental advocates state that restarting you car in reality takes less gas than idling. Rely on your battery to run windows and radio. If you keep the windows closed in heat or cold, the car will stay comfortable for several minutes. Let everyone know that by reducing idling, you can turn your car into a virtual hybrid.