Why do people sit in car park with their engines running

[greenenergy]

Like the person next to me right now.

It's not cold. We are waiting 5 mins to pink up DC from gym.

It's a waste of petrol and pumping out fumes into the air for no apparent reason

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 engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road."

What is necessary and what isn't is going to be a jolly grey area.

This is a bugbear of mine.

The noise
The smell
The pollution

2 people do it every day on our road, at 2:45 and 10:00 pm. I'd like to leave a polite note out that says "please turn your engine off. Thank you very much". DH says that would be unacceptable so I just shout out of the window TURN YOUR ENGINE OFF YOU PLONKER But they can't hear me because of the noise from their engines!

There's a bloke who does it right outside my flat at least a couple of times a week. Don't know who he is or what he's doing but he parks outside in my street - entirely residential, not a through route, very narrow - and leaves the engine going in all weathers. So I have to sit and listen to his engine for ten or fifteen minutes for no flipping reason.

Oh, don't get me started on this topic - it drives me insane. I live in a quiet residential street in London that seems to attract lots of people who think it's ok to just park outside my house with their engine running - causing noise, vibrations and fumes right outside my bedroom window!!!

Delivery drivers do this, taxi drivers and drug dealers...

Ok. I agree if you need to make a quick get away it could be useful but am hoping that the middle aged mum sitting outside our kids gym wasn't hoping to make a fast buck selling a tabs to the kidz

I live in a hot country and lots of my neighbours have massive cars with remote start, they poke their head out of the window to start their AC ten minutes before they leave. Fumes are horrendous when it's already 35degrees.

twats?

Idling engines produce more emissions than a car that's actually running.

I really wish people would realise how damaging it is for the air quality and just how annoying it is.
Please don't do it.

I've literally never thought about this as antisocial! I do it all the time.

I will mend my ways for sure 😁

mrsPacMan - the power of MN! yeah!

oh yes, I hate them so much, these antisocial asses who disturb a peaceful neighborhood with their noise and fume, ideally with radio or music so loud you can even hear the damn thing with your own windows closed! We have to accept their phone calls, and the fact that you can hear the loud speaker better from outside than inside the car, but the engine running? It drives me mad.

17 degrees after 9pm, where?

Because they want to, I guess. Does there need to be another reason?

Running your car to charge your phone is one of the most blithely self-centered things I've seen on this site. Total lack of awareness for the immediate and wider world.

Me this week - because the RAC man told me not to switch it off before 45 minutes on pain of flat battery.

17 celcius? That's warm to me and I would have air con on....

IVernon had to lately. The cold has killed my battery so had to leave it running when picking DD up from school. Didn't like doing it but it's either that or dead car and the pain of not being able to push start (automatic). Once the battery is sorted I can go back to turning it off.

I don't actually drive that often though to pick he up. This week has been a series of one offs with other trips afterwards needed. I can go a week without touchIngham the car usually.

If I'm waiting in the middle of summer or winter though I'll have it in as the engine needs to run for the ac and heating. I'm not in the UK so Temps can range between -20C and +40C between the seasons. I'm not letting younger DD have to out up with that while waiting, especially in the summer.

I agree with you but I accidentally left my car running for 5/6 hours once
I'm trying to remember how it happened but I think I went outside and turned it on because it was freezing. Then went back in and didn't end up going wherever I'd planned.
I went back out that afternoon and heard my engine still running!
I had all sorts of panic and worry but Google told me the car would be fine.
Obviously not environmentally friendly but it was an accident like Exxon Valdez

I'm the reverse to Salvage - it's generally -20 or lower here between November and January, often as low as -45 with the wind chill. You need to plug in a Block heater and/or start your vehicle a good 10-15 minutes before you need it. I've experienced your breath turning to snow inside a vehicle. It's not funny.

Horay for MrsPacMan

People do this because they don't care about destroying the planet.

17 degrees? I would have the air con on.

I used to do this when my babies were asleep if they'd wake up immediately.

I do if ds falls asleep and the car because I need him to not be tired and mardy for the rest of the day for my own mental health!

The air pollution you create in the car will be damaging your baby's health. It is not nice to say that but it's the truth. Find some other way to get your baby to sleep.

it's atrociously selfish and ignorant.
The school car park is teh prime culprit for this -a bunch of idiots in gigantic 4x4s with the engines pumping toxins out at face height for the small children who walk behind them. Wear a warmer coat.