Pupils deliver green message asking parents to turn off engines

Published on Tuesday 18 September 2007 12:18

SCHOOL pupils across Lothian are set to tell their parents to "switch off their engines" as part of a drive to improve air quality.

The campaign will see primary pupils in East, West and Midlothian take home postcards with information about emissions and a plea to parents to think about the effect they are having on the environment, and to switch off engines at traffic lights or in traffic jams, rather than leave them idling.

An engine idling for ten seconds uses more fuel than restarting the car, and when an engine is running it emits toxic substances such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.

Robert De Bold, environment leader of West Lothian Council, said: "Our young people are delivering a strong message to the people who drive them to and from school. The message to 'switch off' is relevant to all drivers who leave their engines running when stopped."