To tell the woman in the car in front to turn her engine off?

[Niceshotdoc]

Sat in the car waiting for DS. Residential street. Woman in front has been idling her car for the past 10 minutes. Presumably for the air con. We're right next to peoples gardens. I really want her to turn it off. So selfish. Shall I?

OP you win the virtue signalling award of the day

Oh ffs. Bloody 'virtue signalling.'

So lazy, so lacking in engagement. I swear it's only used by the same people who can also type 'pearl clutching' in their bloody sleep.

People should turn it off and stop being selfish.

We had a loud car at 1am on Friday night sat outside for 30 minutes with his piece of shit making all sorts of noise. 🫠

People do this for the whole hour of my child’s footy practice during the winter. An idling engine is hugely polluting which is why it is an road traffic offence. Put a coat on if it’s winter. Open the window if it’s summer. Also a waste of fuel. I’ve never plucked up the courage to knock on a window and point any of this out to the parent. I guess you could frame it as giving them information re: the law, especially as so many pp seem unaware?

Some bloke round the corner turns on his diesel van engine just after 7.00 o'clock in the morning, as I walk out with one dog, and it's still running at 7.30 when I come back with the other. I think he has his breakfast in the intervening time. Moron.

FWIW I've been asked a couple of times if I could turn my engine off whilst idling, and neither time did I tear the person's head off or shout obscenities.

For the most part I think most people don't realise they are doing it, so a reminder or a nudge would probably get most to go "oh shit yeah" and turn it off.

In my case it stems from battery paranoia. I've had a couple of bad batteries in the past that drained really quickly, so I got into the habit of leaving the engine on when waiting places. Even now if I'm sat listening to the radio for 20 minutes with the engine off I'll turn it on for a few minutes just to make sure it still fires up (these aren't "old" vehicles I've had problems with either).

I wouldn’t be brave enough to tell someone to switch their engine off but I do agree with you, bad for the environment and a waste of fuel. A lot of newer cars now won’t suit idle, mine is a hybrid and switches off when still.

It also annoys me when people leave their cars running in the winter to defrost them or warm them up before getting in.

It is your business OP. It's everyone's business.

There's a consistent theme on Mumsnet that EVERYTHING is no one else's business, a child could be being beaten to death by their parents in the next house, but don't be a busy body and interfere.

Perhaps if more people do tell these selfish polluters off they would realise that it's not acceptable. They need to feel the weight of societal expectation upon them. There's a time and a place for individualism and there's a time for everyone to meet the dawning realisation that we only have one bloody planet and that sitting idling your engine is ridiculous unless there's some really pressing need.

It's no bloody wonder this planet is going to shit if some of the childish reactions on here are anything to go by. Don't tell me what to do, even if what I'm doing is wrong or illegal or I'll just do it more.

Give me strength. I despair at the utter stupidity and arrogance of some people, not a bloody ounce of self awareness in them.

someone mentioned hybrids needing to run to charge the 12v battery for 1-2 hours a week? I have a hybrid and yes, they are known to get flat quick but they don’t need 1-2 hours a week! Half an hour maybe and then you’d just drive the car somewhere you actually need to go! Or get a power pack.

I loathe people like this. Totally on your side OP. Global warming and pollution is everybody's problem - she is being extremely selfish.

It irritates the life out of me at the school.

I'm not sure if I'd say it to someone.

Very selfish. 😒

Idling Action have a whole resource pack of leaflets etc you can print out and education packs for schools and other settings (scroll down to bottom of home page)

idlingaction.london/

idling engines was a huge problem on our old street for a couple of reasons and I used to speak to people and/or leave leaflets if they weren’t in the vehicle. Most were happy to turn off engines, or at least to agree to, and many said they hadn’t realised it was an offence and why.

'Grow up' 'mind your own buisness' God you people are vile. When you are sitting in hospital for days with your child suffering asthma attacks from selfish bitches like this one maybe you would think different. Or maybe not as you have to be a pretty shitty mother to not see the damage its doing to all our children 🤦‍♀️

Christ, this thread is a bit of an eye opener.

Presumably the attraction of aircon instead of just winding down your windows on a hot day is that you can maintain perfect environmental comfort in your idiotic gas guzzler without disturbing a perfect hair on your idiotic head.

I would not have thought I knew anyone quite this shallow and selfish, but the surprisingly equal division of opinion here suggests that statistically I probably must.

What awful people you all are.

I guess the world is divided between people who

• sit with their engines idling despite the fact it's illegal

and

• everyone else, who see them and think ''entitled cunt''.

So many selfish morons around.

Yanbu, drives me mad.

Plenty of people say it's none of your business but I'm sure they wouldn't think it was fine to throw litter or let a dog shit everywhere. All a risk to public health.

Air pollution is a major killer. Wake the fuck up.

@AllNightDiner they probably can't/wont wind their windows down because of the rest of the silly bastard's with their engine running also 🙄

How is this ever going to stop? <despair>

Agree OP it’s horrible and diesel fumes really smell nasty
Is this the reason for those stop/start cars anyway ? (I’m not sure though)

It’s only an offence on the road, completely fine on private land.

blisstwins · Today 15:40
Maybe she has MS and cannot overheat. In the scheme of things this is tiny. Mind your own businesses.

it really isn’t tiny when you consider the number of car owners in the U.K!

While there are lots of stroppy people on this thread, I think there are others that don’t even think about it. I live near a canal and have to wait in a long queue when the bridge is open. Not only do people not turn their engines off, but sit with their foot on the foot break the whole time. You’d think with petrol at £2 a litre people would try to conserve as much as possible.

You've been unlucky twice with a battery. But that really is unusual. It isnt an excuse now if you're into a new battery.

Stop idling your engine. Just turn the bloody thing off. If you're so worried then dont use the radio. You have a phone. Use that.

This is my absolute pet hate! But I always stop myself from saying something, and some of the posts from here show why.
I don't understand why people don't realise the harm they do. it's a small thing to open a window while you're waiting instead!

Running your engine is selfish. I'd say something and if the person gobbled off at me I'd explain again about air pollution, asthma and other detrimental effects. I'm not going to be intimidated just because you're a selfish and entitled. I would be prepared to annoy you because you are annoying me.

My battery failed last year, probably because I hadn't used the car much during COVID. I still don't sit with it idling like a twat.

This says an awful lot about you. None of it is good.