Cars and trucks are a major contributor to ground-level ozone (smog) in the United States and generate more than 20 percent of this country's heat-trapping gases. Even if your vehicle seems to be running smoothly, it could still be emitting high levels of smog-forming pollutants, so routine emission testing, proper maintenance, and smart driving habits are critical to keeping your vehicle as clean as possible.
Testing
Many states require regular emission testing as part of their vehicle inspection process, but if yours doesn't, try to have your vehicle checked once a year. Testing typically includes a tailpipe emission analysis and an inspection of emission control equipment such as the catalytic converter and oxygen sensor.
Maintenance
Efficient Driving
The following tips can decrease your vehicle's emissions while increasing its fuel economy:
Emission Standards
When buying a car, choose the least polluting model in its class. As described below, the federal government maintains a basic standard that all new vehicles must meet, and a few states have more stringent standards. If emission performance is not listed on the vehicle's window sticker, ask the dealer for this information or visit the federal government's online fuel economy database (see the link below).
Federal standards
State standards (CA, CT, MA, ME, NJ, NY, RI, and
VT). The following designations fit into a system
designed to deliver greater overall emission reductions
than Tier 2:
For more information:
Consumer Federation of America—Clean Cars, Clean Air
www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/cleancars.pdf
National Safety Council—Environmental Health Center
www.nsc.org/ehc/mobile/refuelin.htm
Union of Concerned Scientists—The Plain English Guide to Tailpipe Standards
U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—Fuel Economy and Emissions Performance
www.fueleconomy.gov
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