Traffic Tips from Georgia's Clean Air Force

With a little less than a month left in summer, school is now back in session and traffic on the roads seems to be as crowded as ever, with commuting and travelers taking late summer vacations. 
With that in mind, Georgia's Clean Air Force has provided some tips for motorists to help deal with traffic and contribute to cleaner air. 

It’s Cool to Pool. Use social media networks like Facebook to set up a back-to-school carpool with your neighbors. If you find just four other parents in your neighborhood, you can cut down your school commute to once a week, and spend less money on gas. Carpooling to work on the days that you don’t lead the kids’ carpool can help save even more time and money.

The 30-Second Rule. It might seem convenient to keep your vehicle running while waiting to pick your child up from school, but in reality, it wastes gas and money, in addition to being harmful to the environment. For every 10 minutes of idling cut from your commute, you can save one pound of harmful carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. The rule of thumb is to turn off your engine if you’ll be idling for more than 30 seconds.

Reroute Your Commute. Traffic in metro Atlanta becomes more congested as the school year begins in early August. While there’s no getting around that, staggering your commute might help you save time for school pickup runs. Ask your boss if you can arrive for work later in the morning, when school related traffic is minimal. If your employer allows telecommuting, you can opt to skip the trip to work entirely.

Un-junk Your Trunk. The heavier the vehicle, the more fuel it consumes. Studies show that removing just 100 pounds of extra weight from your vehicle can increase fuel economy by up to two percent. Don’t carry bulky items like sports equipment unless you need to, and remove the roof rack unless you use it regularly.

Follow the App. There are many smart phone apps that can help motorists bypass high traffic areas. Apple and Android have a number of free apps that were designed to find the most efficient and fastest way to get to your destination. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has a data-sharing partnership with Waze, the real-time crowdsourcing app, that provides construction and road-closure data to the app. This helps reroute drivers to less congested routes.

Maximize Performance. Late summer is a good time to have your car inspected by your local mechanic. He or she can check for malfunctioning oxygen sensors, underinflated tires, clogged filters, and other factors that can reduce fuel economy and increase harmful emissions.

For additional information, visit Georgia’s Clean Air Force at www.cleanairforce.com.