A big pet peeve of many electric vehicle owners is watching petrol/diesel engine vehicles parked idling whilst children/people etc walk past, whilst it is against the law rarely does this get enforced which leads to repeat offenders often completely oblivious to the facts, this page provides a variety of useful content to help any EV owner who wishes to help battle this. Of course, even electric vehicles aren’t completely perfect, so walking/cycling etc will be better if possible but that isn’t always a solution, in other words just because we’re EV drivers doesn’t mean we’re perfect!
Show and Tell events
- Consider running a Tesla/EV Show and Tell event at a local school first, this is a great way to get your foot into the door for further communication with the powers that be at council level whilst also creating superb education and support for children learning about EVs and pollution.
- Breezometer Air Quality Map (web or phone app) & 30-day historical calculator – A way to show air pollution on a computer/smartphone/tablet etc.
Letters to politicians/council
- Draft letter asking council members to install signage or discuss the issue further
- Emergency School Streets Template Letter
News
- Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah (pictured), who lived in southeast London, died in 2013 (aged 9), an inquest found air pollution “made a material contribution” to her death, Ella was the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as the cause of death on their death certificate BBC article
- Engine idling – why it’s so harmful and what’s being done
- Pollution from cars and vans costs £6billion per year in health damages
- Air pollution causes big increase in child visits to GP (The Times or The Guardian)
- Fossil fuels caused 8.7m deaths globally in 2018
- Estimation of costs to the NHS and social care due to the health impacts of air pollution: summary report (Public Health England)
Packs, Posters & Council websites
- Anti-Idling Toolkit (British Lung Foundation)
- Vehicle Exhaust is toxic poster (from Mumsforlungs) – Order flyers for delivery here
- Various posters (several London focused)
- City of Westminster Air Pollution Pledge Pack
- Council websites focusing on this sort of thing Leicestershire, Milton Keynes & Haringey
- Red Funnel Page (ironically from a Diesel Engine powered Ferry company)
Helpful organisations
- The Centre of Excellence for the Delivery of Effective Travel Plans in Education, Business and Community Settings
- Mums for Lungs
- Air Quality in Scotland
- Northern Ireland Air Quality
- Air Quality Wales
- London Air
- British Lung Foundation and Clean Air Hub
The Law
Make sure you know the law:
“Stationary idling is an offence under section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The Act enforces rule 123 of the Highway Code, which states: “You must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road.” Doing this can incur a £20 fixed-penalty fine under the Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) Regulations 2002. This goes up to £40 if unpaid within a given time frame.”
YouTube Videos
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMDFyB5XXJQ
- YouTube: Electric Cars (Tesla Model X) for Kids (Toddler Fun Learning)
- YouTube: What Causes Air Pollution? (Peekaboo Kidz)
- YouTube: Air Pollution (Smart Learning for all)
- YouTube: The Electric Car Cartoon
- Maddie goes electric (series showing the process of buying an EV)
Signage
- Exhaust Fume signage (or push local councils/schools to properly do it with the right authority etc)
