The League of Women Voters of Monmouth County has launched a campaign to stop unnecessary and unlawful idling of vehicles as a public health issue.
“Vehicle idling wastes gasoline and money and is a detriment to our health and planet,” according to a press release announcing the initiative.
To help curtail vehicle idling, the league is distributing a brochure outlining a simple approach for the average citizen, who may be unaware of the damage and illness caused by idling, particularly the increase in childhood asthma and other respiratory diseases in New Jersey.
“Much of this illness can be traced to, and exacerbated by, the exposure of children to exhaust fumes from idling school buses and parental vehicles as school closes each day, the press release states. “Children inhale a gamut of fumes and soot particles from the exhausts of these idling vehicles.”
The league advises parents not to start engines before children are in a vehicle.
“Appropriate clothing protects them from the cold or heat outside, and they can certainly survive in comfort for the few moments it takes a car to warm up in winter or cool down in summer,” the league press release states. “It is the adults who idle their vehicles for their own comfort. If people truly understood the impact of their actions, they would opt for cleaner air and better health for us all.”
The pamphlet has been sent to all of the county’s PTA/PTO presidents in the hope that they will copy it and distribute it to parents, teachers, bus drivers and the general public.
“Parents want what is best for their children. They seek to protect their health at home and when traveling. We believe that protection extends to the schoolyard as well. By eliminating idling, we protect our children, save fuel, save wear and tear on the vehicle, and save money as well,” the press release states.
For an electronic copy of the brochure, go to www.lwvnj.org and look on the right side under “News and Upcoming Events.”
The league encourages members of the public to print, copy and distribute this brochure within neighborhoods, schools, houses of worship and activity centers.
The League of Women Voters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest organization that supports the environment, education and public health.
For more information, contact Esther Greenberg, president of the Monmouth County Inter-League Organization, at 732- 617-2895.