Concord Police Department: Concord Police Department Reminds Drivers Of Massachusetts' Anti-Idling Law

Press release from the Concord Police Department:

October 27, 2021

CONCORD — Chief Joseph O’Connor and the Concord Police Department would like to remind drivers of Massachusetts’ anti-idling law.

State law limits unnecessary idling — running a vehicle’s engine when it is not being driven — to five minutes. Those who violate the law may receive a fine of up to $100 for the first offense and up to $500 for additional offenses.

Exceptions include vehicles being serviced or used to deliver or accept goods where engine-assisted power is necessary, as well as when the engine is being used to provide power to another device, such as a refrigerated truck that is storing perishables. Idling also may be done in extenuating circumstances, such as while actively cleaning snow and ice off a vehicle’s windshield so that the driver will be able to see safely.

The goal is to improve air quality by reducing unnecessary air pollution from idling vehicles. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that idling from heavy-duty and light-duty vehicles combined wastes about 6 billion gallons of fuel each year. About half of that is due to personal vehicles, which generate about 30 million tons of CO2 every year from idling.

In addition to causing pollution, idling reduces a vehicle’s fuel economy and wastes money through gas expenditures.

Residents are reminded that heaters and air conditioning units work faster when the vehicle is being driven, not when it is left idling. Most vehicles reach a comfortable temperature within the first five minutes of driving.

Additionally, once the engine has warmed up, an idling engine causes more pollution by continuously running than by turning it off and starting it up again. More damage occurs to engines left idling for long periods of time than those turned on and off.

“I ask that community members do their part to help curb carbon emissions by being conscious of unnecessary idling and avoiding it whenever possible,” Chief O’Connor said. “It is our hope that by reminding the public of the law, there will be greater compliance, which will take us one step closer to reaching the town’s sustainability goals.”

The following are a few examples of unnecessary idling:

Drivers should note to always keep a vehicle’s engine running while waiting in traffic for safety reasons.

For more information on Massachusetts’ anti-idling law, please click here.

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This press release was produced by the Concord Police Department. The views expressed here are the author’s own.