by Ed Welch

Created on: May 28, 2008

As gasoline prices continue to skyrocket, motorists are still spending lots of "idle time" in their cars, trucks and SUVs. The web site Fueleconomy.gov reports that approximately 15 percent of the energy from the fuel in your tank actually moves your car down the road or run accessories such as air-conditioning. The rest is lost to idling and other inefficient practices.

Some mornings I drive through town past a fast-food chain restaurant known for its great breakfast biscuits. I slow down and cautiously change lanes because the drive-through line is way out of the parking lot into the street. Travel by a school in the morning or afternoon hours and you're likely to see long lines of traffic leading into the school's pick-up area as well. Now and then I see a car idling in the parking lot of a store, locked and unoccupied.

This brings to mind simple solutions right away. In many cases, a restaurant's drive-through presents a false economy in that no time is saved, and excess gas is wasted by lengthy idling, so I found a long time ago it's much quicker to park, go in the door, place my order, and leave.

And while most school districts run large fleets of buses, many are partially empty. Encouraging more ridership is a step away from idling cars polluting air in the presence of children.

Other ideas include adjusting commute times in busy areas. Recent trips to Atlanta were a revelation as I sat among thousands of idling cars on the freeway. I'm fortunate to not have to deal with that, living in a rural area. If I had thought ahead, I would have planned my trip to avoid the rush hours.

Many believe that idling an engine is more efficient than turning it off for a few minutes and cranking it back up. But if you plan to be stopped for anything more than 10 seconds, chances are you'll save fuel and money by turning the engine off and re-starting when ready to go. Winter warm-ups of less than a minute are sufficient for the engine to do its job, even though your heater might still be blowing cold air in your lap and the window might still be frosty. Better yet, make sure you've got a good quality ice-scraper and warm gloves windows can be cleared off before cranking.

If you have a newer car with remote starting capability, avoid the temptation to hit the button on your fob too soon it's an invitation to idle even more.

It's estimated that a half hour of idling can cost about a tenth of a gallon in wasted fuel. If you have a V8, more gas gets wasted. Edmunds.com estimates as much as a 19 percent savings on fuel to motorists who cut out idling. Of all the things you can do to get better fuel economy, cutting out idling is one of the easiest.

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