Air pollution is a serious concern for most people. Especially in largely built-up areas, the growing concentration of pollutants can cause air to be unpleasant to breathe. Car emissions are one of the largest causes of this.
As such, most car manufacturers are making an effort to reduce them. Whether this is through the use of electric vehicles or new low emission technology, they’re doing their bit to make our atmosphere less polluted. But how can you help do yours?
Unfortunately, there are very few indicators that can tell you how much you are contributing to air pollution. However, there are steps you can do to ensure that the amount of pollution you produced is reduced on your commutes, which will be covered in this article.
Become more efficient
For those of you who are considering purchasing a new car soon, you can always choose the most fuel efficient one that meets your needs. This doesn’t mean you have to compromise on your chosen style or features, however.
For example, if you are planning to have a car that’ll accommodate your short journeys, there’s likely a highly efficient option that suits your style.
Idling is another key contributor to high emissions. If your car is fitted with a stop-start system, make sure you’re using it. Otherwise start practising quick starts, so that when you do experience long delays in traffic you can reduce your emissions further.
Burn Fuel Cleaner
Emissions from cars increase the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. However, you can make small changes that will ensure you are more fuel efficient. These are listed below:
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Use higher quality fuel – more expensive fuel contains cleaning agents that help to reduce debris buildup and burn cleaner overall)
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Change your oil – keeping your oil topped up and fresh is key to lowering your emissions. If it becomes to low your car will have to work harder to perform. This leads to more emissions.
Keep your vehicle in check
Small acts like keeping your tyres inflated properly and ensuring that your air filter is clean can also help to reduce exhaust emissions. These jobs help your car to run more efficiently and result in fewer emissions overall. If you require a service you can always book on in.
For those of you who have diesel vehicles, it is good to get your Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) cleaned every so often. When Diesel engines burn, a lot of soot is created due to the combustion process.
All of this harmful “stuff” is turned into harmless ash, which can be exposed to the atmosphere in a process called DPF regeneration. This process expels the built-up ash your engine is turned off. If your car performs a dpf regeneration on a regular basis, however, there may be something wrong with it, meaning you will need to get it cleaned.
Regular car servicing and MOT makes sure that your car doesn’t go above the vehicle pollution limit.