Fumes and smog coming out from cars

The Traffic Police will not fault you on this one, BUT the NEA will. Main reason for doing so: It pollutes the environment necessarily. This is actually quite logical especially for the older cars where engine is not that efficient and filtration is not able to clean out the exhaust as efficiently as possible. You may argue that in Singapore, cars are being subjected to periodic inspections, making the vehicle less chances of breaking down and having more efficient engines to prevent pollution. But get this, even though that is true. If every car just emit a bit more exhaust. How detrimental is that to the environment? We do not want to end up like most big cities in the world where they grapple with high PSI level everyday.

So here is what is the rule is about and I have summarised this to make it easy to understand, highlighting only the main points.

Under Environmental Protection and Management ( Vehicular Emissions) Regulations, it is an offence to leave your motor vehicle engine running when it is stationary for reasons OTHER than traffic conditions , ie: waiting for the red light to change green, or in a traffic jam. Maximum fine for offenders is $5,000. A stationary motor vehicle with engine running wastes the fuel and also causes air pollution. The smell and noise coming from the exhaust is a nuisance to the public.

Under the Environmental Protection and Management (Vehicular Emissions) Regulations, it is an offence to leave the engine of a motor vehicle running when it is stationary for reasons other than traffic conditions. Errant motorists can be fined up to a maximum of $5000. A stationary motor vehicle with engine running wastes fuel and causes air pollution. In addition, it causes smell and noise nuisance to the public.

Over the past 3 years, there were about 8,000 offenders who were being fined or given warning letter. Most of them reflected that they were unaware about this rule. Usually the offenders are caught while waiting for children to knock off from school or waiting for their family members or maids to finish their marketing.

NEA has been trying to spread the information around on their websites, at the same time, hard copies pamphlets were also given to motorists while they send their vehicles for inspection. Information on idling engines is also available on the NEA website (www.nea.gov.sg/anti-pollution-radiation-protection).