About 6 billion gallons of fuel are emitted from unnecessary car idling annually. Personal vehicles alone generate about 30 million tons of CO2 emissions. Researchers estimate that reducing unnecessary idling would be the same as taking 5 million vehicles off the roads.
Many modern cars also do not need to idle or have features to reduce idling. Some vehicles come with a manual on how to get your vehicle to perform its best, including economic performance. Other vehicles also have features that reduce emissions, such as many Subaru cars have an Auto Start Stop feature that is designed to reduce fuel consumption, exhaust emissions, and idling noise.
There are simple changes you can make every day to reduce idling and emissions. This can include turning off your ignition if you are waiting for a period of time, or warming up your vehicle while you are driving, and not while idling beforehand. It may also be a good idea to talk to local schools and business to implement anti-idling signs where vehicles often wait for passengers.
This article references an article by the U.S. Department of Energy, found here.