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Original poster

To ask why people leave their engine running?

160 replies

Idontlikecheesecake · 02/09/2020 14:48

I hate seeing people sitting in the cars, on their phone and the engine is running. Why do it? Do they not realise the climate is in crisis? And it’s wasting their fuel thus wasting their money. I walked through the car park at work today and I must have seen at least 4 cars with their engines running and the drivers were just sat on their phones. I was tempted to knock on some of their windows and tell them to turn the engine off, but I imagine that would be unreasonable (would it???). I genuinely want to know why people do it?

OP posts:
captainprincess · 02/09/2020 21:15

Yep I know it charges the battery, thanks Smile my point was NOT for 3 hours GrinWink

cologne4711 · 02/09/2020 21:21

I live opposite a scholl and the number of oarents who arrive early and keep their engines on is astonishing. As is teh number of children who need collectong from 2 roads away but that is another thread

That too!

Some of the comments on here make me laugh. MN hates cars. Hates them. 😆 I trust you all drive fully electric cars, yes? At the very least an efficient hybrid? No? Surely you turn your engines off in stationary traffic, then? No Yes I have a hybrid (electric cars are twice the cost) , and when I drive our petrol car, yes I turn off the engine when I am stuck in a queue.

As a balance, my house is entirely self-sufficient and runs from solar, battery and ground source heat that doesn't balance because you are polluting the atmosphere around you when you leave the engine running. And covid affects the lungs, badly, so don't do it! And thinking more long term, pollution is a cause of dementia and other diseases.

Potterpotterpotter · 02/09/2020 21:23

@Breckenridged

It’s unspeakably selfish. And illegal. And selfish.

I don’t hate cars. They are useful. But, maybe other than the sleeping baby/only 20 minutes in the day to yourself thing, these excuses are all pretty rubbish. Charge your phone over night. Put a coat in the car if it’s cold. Park in the shade if it’s hot.

So what happens when there is no shade to cover the car or you forget a coat or you don’t want to leave a phone on charge for 8 hours a night when it doesn’t need that long.. some phones don’t last a full day if used a lot for work so even if they charge it overnight it might still need some extra charge.

No one has to justify to anyone why they have left their car running. Unless you are a warden/police that can actually issue a ticket or fine then just keep your nose out.

Etinox · 02/09/2020 21:42

@Scissor

My radio packs in after about 10 minutes as eco mode thing kicks in so I switch the car on sometimes so I'm not bored witless waiting.
Heaven forbid you might be bored Hmm Poor Planet.
Breckenridged · 02/09/2020 22:01

So what happens when there is no shade to cover the car or you forget a coat or you don’t want to leave a phone on charge for 8 hours a night when it doesn’t need that long.. some phones don’t last a full day if used a lot for work so even if they charge it overnight it might still need some extra charge.

And how come those of us who never leave our engines idling manage not to find ourselves in these situations?

JayAlfredPrufrock · 02/09/2020 22:05

I thought it was illegal to leave your car idling.

So everyone defending it - you are wrong.

Potterpotterpotter · 02/09/2020 22:07

And how come those of us who never leave our engines idling manage not to find ourselves in these situations?

You do but you just suffer by being hot/cold and living with a dead phone. 🤷🏼‍♀️

ResIpsaLoquiturInterAlia · 02/09/2020 22:10

Usually because the driver is unaware of the illegality or essentially don't think they are doing anything wrong or inconsiderate to others subjected to unnecessary extra pollution. Charging mobile phones or keeping warm/cool is easily resolved with a portable power bar and use of extra warm clothing layers or windows/roof ventilated. The driver may also inadvertently not be conscious of extended duration stationary with engine running?

JayAlfredPrufrock · 02/09/2020 22:10

Heaven forbid.

Potterpotterpotter · 02/09/2020 22:13

@JayAlfredPrufrock it’s not illegal if you do it on your drive way. It’s only illegal if it’s on a public road

JayAlfredPrufrock · 02/09/2020 22:16

Ok. If I need to charge my phone I’d go in the house. If I wanted to charge my battery it’s better to drive your car than idle it.

Why would anyone need to idle their car on their drive?

AgeLikeWine · 02/09/2020 22:19

Because they are wealthy endnote to care about the cost of the fuel they are burning. They literally have money to burn.

newmumwithquestions · 02/09/2020 22:21

I hate this! Sometimes I do ask someone to turn their engine off. Usually when I have to unload children into fumes. Winds me up. Usually I passively aggressively and pointlessly tut to myself wishing I had the guts to challenge everyone I see doing this.

I don’t think a drivers desire to sit in warm /cool trumps someone else’s desire not to have to walk through your fumes. Not even for a sleeping baby (and yes I did have one that would wake as soon as the engine was turned off - tough - that’s what having a baby is like, doesn’t mean you should sit polluting everyone’s air).

Those saying it’s for phone batteries just charge it when you’re driving. Don’t drive along, get somewhere, then charge it.

Breckenridged · 02/09/2020 22:22

You do but you just suffer by being hot/cold and living with a dead phone.

Hot/cold, maybe. Dead phone, not personally. But I’d rather feel slight temperature discomfort than break the law while pumping unnecessary pollutants into the air, so.. 🤷‍♀️

Potterpotterpotter · 02/09/2020 22:24

@JayAlfredPrufrock

Ok. If I need to charge my phone I’d go in the house. If I wanted to charge my battery it’s better to drive your car than idle it.

Why would anyone need to idle their car on their drive?

Warm it up in the morning before leaving for work mainly.
Potterpotterpotter · 02/09/2020 22:24

@Breckenridged

You do but you just suffer by being hot/cold and living with a dead phone.

Hot/cold, maybe. Dead phone, not personally. But I’d rather feel slight temperature discomfort than break the law while pumping unnecessary pollutants into the air, so.. 🤷‍♀️

Very noble of you.
JayAlfredPrufrock · 02/09/2020 22:25

Warm it up for what? Get in car. Turn on engine. Drive away.

Henio · 02/09/2020 22:30

This post and the comments are completely ridiculous. I bet you all do other things that pollute and ruin the planet... use single use plastic, don't always recycle as much as you should, buy cheap unsustainable clothing, buy fruit, veg and other food that's been imported, go on holiday on an aeroplane, fill landfills with crap from your houses etc... So someone leaving their car engine running for 5 minutes is a complete over reaction.

Potterpotterpotter · 02/09/2020 22:33

@JayAlfredPrufrock

Warm it up for what? Get in car. Turn on engine. Drive away.
Then the car is cold and takes a while to warm up so.. what’s so hard to understand? Why would I drive around in a cold car for 5 mins when I can get straight into a warm one.

Tick the car over on your drive which is legal and then get in car, drive away Grin

Feminist10101 · 02/09/2020 22:34

@Henio

This post and the comments are completely ridiculous. I bet you all do other things that pollute and ruin the planet... use single use plastic, don't always recycle as much as you should, buy cheap unsustainable clothing, buy fruit, veg and other food that's been imported, go on holiday on an aeroplane, fill landfills with crap from your houses etc... So someone leaving their car engine running for 5 minutes is a complete over reaction.
None of those things directly affect the air you’re breathing in those moments in quite the same way.

The school bus at our primary used to sit idling. All parents, buggies etc had to pass directly Next to the exhaust. Quiet word with the head and it stopped.

I might spray hairspray continuously alongside the drivers’ windows of the muppets doing this in future. They can’t exactly complain about being forced to inhale noxious fumes, can they?

Potterpotterpotter · 02/09/2020 22:36

i might spray hairspray continuously alongside the drivers’ windows of the muppets doing this in future. They can’t exactly complain about being forced to inhale noxious fumes, can they

I would imagine they would just think you were bat shit and do the window up 😂

Feminist10101 · 02/09/2020 22:42

Then the car is cold and takes a while to warm up so.. what’s so hard to understand? Why would I drive around in a cold car for 5 mins when I can get straight into a warm one.

Why would you? Same reason I don’t burn my work clothes every night? Or melt huge piles of plastic in the street? Or chuck asbestos all over the place?

Tick the car over on your drive which is legal and then get in car, drive away

Take a hot water bottle and stop being a dick.

Potterpotterpotter · 02/09/2020 22:52

@Feminist10101

Then the car is cold and takes a while to warm up so.. what’s so hard to understand? Why would I drive around in a cold car for 5 mins when I can get straight into a warm one.

Why would you? Same reason I don’t burn my work clothes every night? Or melt huge piles of plastic in the street? Or chuck asbestos all over the place?

Tick the car over on your drive which is legal and then get in car, drive away

Take a hot water bottle and stop being a dick.

Nah.. what I do isn’t illegal. Stop being a nosy old bat and mind your own business.
Henio · 02/09/2020 22:52

@Feminist10101
But those things do affect the air, this post was originally about the climate crisis not the air you're breathing in immediately.
Areoplanes? Look how much more fuel they use than cars. Importing food? More fuel again. All those things contribute, you can't moan and complain about one type of behaviour if you're contributing in other ways. Even hairspray pollutes the air so if you use that you're contributing

Stannisbaratheonsboxofmatches · 02/09/2020 22:53

Yanbu

It’s a really fucking selfish thing to do!