[Grovenet] Driving Help Needed

[Jeff Howden]

Allen,

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> From: Allen Warren
> 
> [...] After my heart rate and blood pressure neared
> their normal levels, I informed my son that for the very
> short period of time we would be waiting for the traffic
> signal to turn green, we would actually use a little
> more fuel and it would be an extra load on the car's
> system to restart vs. sitting idling. [...]
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I don't have any evidence to backup my hunch at the moment, but I suspect
that you'd have to sit idling for longer than most, normal wait-time red
lights in order to make up for the extra fuel you'd consume in starting a
vehicle.  Add to that the extra wear and tear on the starter and electrical
system, the risk of sitting with no lights on, etc. and it quickly becomes a
net loss instead of an almost immeasurable gain.

Alittle Googling turned up the following:

http://www.wikihow.com/Save-Money-on-Gas
http://www.puritanboard.com/f66/does-idling-car-save-burn-gas-21541/
http://www.eccj.or.jp/idstop/eng/dpeasts3.pdf
http://www.memagazine.org/june07/departments/input_output/input_out.html

IMO, the first two are only spuriously credible, while the last two bear
more weight.

That said, there's no debating that idling is bad in principle.  However,
the "time and a place" argument applies here and suggests that idling while
in a lane of traffic is generally a bad idea while turning the car off while
in the drive through or waiting for someone outside their house or a store
is a more than just a good idea.

More importantly, if your son is interested in saving gas (and you from
"heart issues") then he'll be "pleased" to know that his driving habits with
regard to speed, aggressiveness (or rather the lack of), etc. are far more
impactful on fuel economy than simply shutting the car off while at a red
light.  Most importantly, incorporating these habits will make him a safer
driver which has the potential of saving lots of money on insurance as well.

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> [...] he also argued it wouldn't be a traffic violation. 
> I argued it was unsafe because even though it was indeed
> a well-lit area and we were stopped at a red light
> signal, we were sitting in a car, in a traffic lane,
> with no lights on at night.  [...]
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I suspect his logic wouldn't hold much ground should he get stopped for
"driving" without the proper lights on, even though he's sitting in the left
turn lane with the engine off and lights out.  The officer doesn't know from
a glance that the car isn't running.  All he knows is the vehicle is in a
lane of traffic, it's past time when lights should be on, and the lights on
the vehicle are not on.  Saddle the officer with the knowledge that you were
sitting there with the engine off as well and that's not likely to sit well
with the officer.  There may not be a specific law for any of that, but I
suspect they would get creative in coming up with a way of levying a fine
for violating the laws of common sense.

Just my 2¢,

Jeff