Motor Vehicles & Air Pollution
Highway vehicles release about 1.1 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year – mostly in the form of carbon dioxide contributing to global climate change. Each gallon of gasoline you burn creates 20 pounds of greenhouse gases. That’s roughly 6 to 9 tons of greenhouse gases each year for a typical vehicle. Learn more here.
Air Pollution & Your Health
The pollutants emitted into the air by motor vehicles can affect human health. They can aggravate existing health conditions such as heart disease, lung diseases like bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema. This causes chest pains, coughing, nausea, and congestion which will make it harder to breathe. Learn more about air pollution and your health from The World Health Organization.
Proper Vehicle Maintenance
- Keep your engine properly tuned
- Keep tires properly inflated
- Proper tire pressure for your vehicle is usually found on a sticker in the driver’s side door jab or the glove box. If not, it will always be in the owner’s manual
- Use the recommended grade of motor oil- this information can be found in your owner’s manual
- Replace air filters regularly
- For more information and total gas savings visit fueleconomy.gov
Driving Tips to Improve Mileage & Reduce Air Pollution
- Drive sensibly
- Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by 33%
- Observe the speed limit
- Driving 5mph over 50mph is like paying an additional $0.16/gallon
- Avoid hauling cargo on your roof
- Cargo on your roof can reduce fuel economy up to 25%
- Remove excess weight
- Remove extra items in your car to help your fuel economy by 1% minimum.
- Avoid excessive idling
- Idling can use a quarter to half a gallon of fuel per hour.
- Use cruise control
- Save gas by maintaining a constant speed.
