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How to Reduce Air Pollution From Vehicles

The deterioration of environmental conditions is a serious concern. While pollution of all sorts might be responsible, most of these pollutants include harmful gases because of incomplete combustion. A high percentage of such gases come from daily vehicle commutation on the roads.

Eager to learn more about how to reduce pollution from vehicles? This article gives you some simple yet effective ways to reduce car pollution.

What Are the Different Ways to Reduce Pollution from Vehicles?

Both private and commercial cars and bikes can release high hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide emissions, largely polluting the environment. Such emissions also include microscopic particles, which contribute to heart problems and breathing and increase cancer risks.

If you wonder how to reduce pollution from vehicles, you can aim to minimise burning fuel from your car. You can also try to clean this fuel before burning it when required.

If you own a vehicle, you are responsible for reducing the amount of pollution it is causing to the environment.

1. Checking Car’s Emission Levels

The government has set limits on the acceptable standard percentage of carbon monoxide emission. You can visit your nearest petrol station to check your car’s emission level. Once your vehicle meets this average emission level, you will receive a Pollution Under Control certificate (PUCC) to confirm the same. This will help you ensure that your car is not causing significant pollution.

2. Using Alternative Fuels

The combustion process inside your vehicle’s engine is mainly responsible for causing harmful emissions. However, using cleaner fuels might help in reducing the same. If you wonder how to reduce car pollution, visit your nearest petrol pump.

Here, you will notice fuel booths labelled as premium or super, cleaner substitutes for gasoline or diesel. These are purifying agents to check engine dirt and deposits, and these can be more expensive than regular fuel. Low-sulphur gasoline, for instance, helps reduce 10%-15% of pollutants.

3. Driving Wisely

A common belief exists that you can reduce vehicle pollution if you drive less. You can reduce your driving time by relying on bikes and the public transport system. Moreover, using carpools and shared rides can also be helpful. Apart from that, you should be aware of your use of gas pedals and brakes. Following the manufacturer's maintenance schedule and using the recommended motor oil can also be considered ways of driving wisely.

4. Reducing Car Idling

The idling of cars often pollutes the air by wasting fuel and causing excess engine wear. It is the act of starting the car engine and allowing it to run without acceleration. The combustion process developed can cause toxins to pollute the air. However, modern vehicles hardly require warming up, so there is no need to turn the engine on unless you are ready to drive.

Thus, if you wonder how to stop car pollution, you can start by turning off your engine whenever you are not driving your car, especially during extended traffic congestions on the road.

5. Changing Oil Regularly

The engine oil and oil filter in your car mainly ensure its smooth running. In addition, the oil acts as a lubricant, helping the engine parts to move efficiently. Thus, over time, the oil and oil filter of your car might collect dust and settle in the engine, ultimately causing engine malfunction. Therefore, when you change the oil periodically, you can answer the question of how to reduce pollution from vehicles. When you change the oil, the engine will remain clean, and the pollutants will stop spreading around.

6. Checking the Air Filter

The air filter in your car can gather dirt from the surroundings, which often clog its face. The air filter is often considered as the lung of your engine, which means the engine cannot breathe properly if the air filter is dirty. Premature depreciation starts accumulating in this case. Thus, you should visit your service centre periodically if you stay in a dusty environment. Randomly replacing the filters will be helpful to avoid car pollution.

7. Opting for Fuel-Efficient Vehicle

When you wonder how to prevent car pollution, the idea of fuel efficiency is the most common answer. Thus, if you plan to purchase a new car, you should look for fuel-efficient vehicles with low greenhouse gas emissions. While these cars help save the environment from pollution, they can also save your expenses on fuel. Electric vehicles, Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and cleaner-burning gasoline vehicles are some of the fuel-efficient cars you can purchase.

What Are the Things You Should Avoid to Reduce Pollution from Your Vehicle?

source: chicagotribune

Now that you know how to reduce pollution from vehicles, you should also know about things to avoid to reduce pollution.

  • Excessive Driving

If you own a car and wonder how we can reduce air pollution from vehicles, you should avoid driving it too much. Instead, it would help to focus on walking or using public transport. Sharing rides and carpooling are also good alternatives. The ultimate way of cutting down your carbon footprint is by walking to nearby distances instead of taking your car.

  • Not Choosing the Correct Tyre

Choosing low resistance tyres and avoiding regular ones can also help you contribute to nature. These require lesser efforts and thereby result in higher mileage. As a result, it will help release more secondary emissions from your vehicle.

Thus, the answer to how to reduce pollution from vehicles is a tricky one. As this article discussed, various factors might be responsible for the same. Nevertheless, if you own a car, you should try to contribute to this process by following the tips mentioned here. It will enable you to avoid wasting fuel and thus reduce environmental pollution from your vehicle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What device helps clean car exhaust?

Electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are used as air pollution control devices. These collect and remove particulate matter from harmful emissions.

How much pollution comes from cars?

An average passenger car generates 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, causing about 29% of greenhouse gas emissions.