Sample 1

We can't remain idle about engine idling

If you drive your children to and from school, please turn off your engine when parked outside the school.

Fact: If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada avoided idling for just five minutes per day, we would save 1.6 million litres of fuel worth more than $1.2 million.

Fact: If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada avoided idling for just five minutes per day, we would prevent more than 3,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

Fact: Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution – they breathe faster than adults and inhale more air per pound of body weight.

Fact: Health Canada estimates that more than 5,000 Canadians die prematurely each year because of air pollution.

Turn Your Key, Be Idle-Free

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Sample 2

Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution

Children breathe faster than adults and inhale more air per pound of body weight. This is why it is so important to decrease pollution from engine idling outside our school.

It's also not safe for the person in the driver seat. Many people believe that they are protected from air pollution if they remain inside their vehicles. This is not so, according to a report by the International Center for Technology Assessment (CTA). CTA found that exposure to most auto pollutants, including carbon monoxide (CO), is much higher inside vehicles than at the road-side. These emissions are linked to serious health problems, including respiratory irritation and cancer.

If you drive your children to and from school, please turn off your engine when parked outside the school.

Turn Your Key, Be Idle-Free

123turnyourkey.com

Sample 3

Myths and facts about idling vehicles

Myth #1: The engine should be warmed up before driving. Reality: Idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to do this is to drive the vehicle. With today's modern engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before driving away.

Myth #2: Idling is good for your engine. Reality: Excessive idling can actually damage your engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs and exhaust systems.

Myth #3: Shutting off and restarting your vehicle is hard on the engine and uses more gas than if you leave it running. Reality: Frequent restarting has little impact on engine components like the battery and the starter motor. Component wear caused by restarting the engine is estimated to add $10 per year to the cost of driving, money that will likely be recovered several times over in fuel savings from reduced idling. The bottom line is that over ten seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine.

If you drive your children to and from school, please turn off your engine when parked outside the school.

Turn Your Key, Be Idle-Free

123turnyourkey.com

Sample 4

Help make our school an Idle-Free Zone

During the second week of April, you may be approached by an Anti-Idling volunteer if you are sitting in your car outside the school. They are spreading the word about decreasing unnecessary vehicle idling for the sake of our children and our environment. We are all working together to make our school an Idle-Free Zone which will help us all breathe a little easier.

If you drive your children to and from school, please turn off your engine when parked outside the school.

Turn Your Key, Be Idle-Free

123turnyourkey.com

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