Stationery vehicles with engine running

[#1]

It appears that in some American states people are taking photographs of stationery vehicles with their engine running, if reported to the authorities and the driver gets a fine the person taking the photo gets 25%.

It's reported one guy has made this a full time job, likely there are others.

Unlikely to catch on here but you never know, I am all for climate change but I can see some physical altercations taking place if someone was caught by the driver filming his vehicle.

Perhaps encouraging people to do this is a step too far.

[#2]

It appears that in some American states people are taking photographs of stationery vehicles with their engine running, if reported to the authorities and the driver gets a fine the person taking the photo gets 25%.

I bet it doesn't happen in Florida When you've parked for a few hours in a Disney car park and you get back to the car, you need to start the engine and run the a/c for a about 10 minutes before its possible to get in the car!

[#3]

If  vehicle is left "unattended" with the engine running.... the driver is committing an offence...

On certain routes, I am aware of the timings of traffic lights... and if, on approach, I suspect there is going to be a wait,... then I switch off,

Some of these lights are on red for 2 minutes...  some are 90 seconds, and some are about 1 minute... the routes are regular each week... so over time, I am saving my fuel....by switching off the engine...I am usually the "first away".. ( when being in "pole position" at the lights! ! ).. but not in a "boy racer" style... ! ! ..

What amazes me, is the number of people who will sit in a traffic queue,( Especially at traffic light controlled road works, when it can be obvious there is going to be a long wait and often you can see the traffic light as well as observing the oncoming traffic,)  with their engine running, and their foot on the brake pedal... burning fuel, and also burning out the light bulbs ! ! ! .. Apart from being "uncomfortable"  by having to press on the pedal... Isn`t that what the Hand Brake was for ? 

[#4]

@gleneagles 

I presume this is when it is unattended.

Others here will already have driven them, but the car I hired last week (a little Fiat 500) had an automatic start-stop facility that unknown to myself had been activated - so I thought I kept stalling the car.

Really annoying as being so quiet as they are these days and what with my poor hearing, I could not always tell the engine was not running.

Gadget overload? 

I certainly thought so, but then I felt the same when they first introduced read windscreen wipers! 

As for those reporting drivers... 

[#5]

So there I was in a long traffic queue, probably half mile plus, stretching right back and around a roundabout. All the time I was stopping starting inching forward I was thinking the lane coming towards me is free flowing virtually empty. When I got to the front it was just minor work on some traffic lights. Just behind them was a big council info sign saying today "turn off your engines save blah blah blah".

All I could think was if the traffic flow was regulated properly there would have been no queue, no time wasted, no need to even think about turning engines off. Incompetence is a far bigger problem than an engine running.

[#6]

New cars with the start-stop  facility need  special batteries which cost much more than a car without that facility so fuel saved has to be offset with the extra cost of the special battery

This is interesting

http://blog.greenflag.com/2016/cheap-batteries-costing-drivers-with-start-stop-cars/

https://www.yuasa.co.uk/info/technical/start-stop-vehicle-battery-replacement-warning/

I wonder if the starter motor is a different type

Brian A

[#7]

Having not quite got the hang of automatic chokes I worry about turning the engine off....

[#8]

Just drive without the clutch, come to a stop in-gear, engine stops, turn the engine over in-gear on the starter and engine starts, easy...

(Subtitles are needed for those who don't speak Dutch)

Might want to keep a spare starter in the boot and upgrade the battery to one with a higher CCA rating though...

[#9]

Oh, and Stationery or Stationary vehicles?

Stationery 2CV Charlie

[#10]

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@Champnet wrote:

Having not quite got the hang of automatic chokes I worry about turning the engine off....

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So ,... do you leave the engine running all night,  ready for an instant getaway the next morning ? ? ? ?  

[#11]

@twocvbloke 

My English teacher, Miss Pelling never gave me good marks for my speling

[#12]

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@Minivanman wrote:

Others here will already have driven them, but the car I hired last week (a little Fiat 500) had an automatic start-stop facility that unknown to myself had been activated - so I thought I kept stalling the car.

Really annoying as being so quiet as they are these days and what with my poor hearing, I could not always tell the engine was not running.

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@Minivanman 

Did you find that Stop/Start could be disabled?  Presumably most, if not all, stop/start cars will have a switch to disable that function (my VW Golf does).  I usually press the button to disable it as soon as I've started the engine to avoid the engine cutting out for those really short waits at a clear junction or roundabout, although in situations such as described above by shutter and billnotben I'll press it again to re-enable the stop/start mode.

[#13]

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@RobPN wrote:

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  I usually press the button to disable it as soon as I've started the engine to avoid the engine cutting out for those really short waits at a clear junction or roundabout, although in situations such as described above by shutter and billnotben I'll press it again to re-enable the stop/start mode.

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How snowflakey can you get?   Designing a complicated component into  a vehicle, ( with the added cost of time, engineering, components, and all .... ) that has been in the vehicle since the ignition switch and starter motor circuit, was invented. 

The component is called "the driver"...

[#14]

@RobPN 

Eventually yes, but not until after the Mrs suggested it might have something to do with a button I thought was for the air conditioning!

[#15]

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@shutter wrote:

How snowflakey can you get?   Designing a complicated component into  a vehicle, ( with the added cost of time, engineering, components, and all .... ) that has been in the vehicle since the ignition switch and starter motor circuit, was invented. 

The component is called "the driver"...

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@shutter 

Well at least automatic stop/start lets the driver concentrate properly on using a handheld mobile phone to check/send texts etc.  

Just kidding!